Parenting Classes at Dana Corp

YSB recently did a parenting series for Dana Break and Chassis Corp. The topic of the first seminar was "Parenting" and the second was "Bullying." It was coordinated through the company's Human Resources Department as a benefit for their employees who are parents. The YSB Prevention Team has developed a program called "Parenting in the Work Place," to provide working parents classes in their place of employment.

The program was well received at Dana Corp. So much so, it was written up in the company newsletter. Here is the article:

Building Positive Parenting Skills -
A series of seminars to help parents and children.
By Dori Michaels - Dana Corporation

During recent months, we have been hosting at our HQ location a series of seminars with a theme - "building positive parenting skills" - with timely information presented by McHenry County Youth Services Bureau.

On 4/23/03, we heard from Mike Amici, who is a YSB Prevention Specialist. He spends most of his time working with school-age kids on various challenging issues. The first topic Mike discussed was "Parenting Tips", and he spoke about three basic areas where our children need support from parents: physical, emotional, and intellectual. He reminded his audience of some simple guidelines that help parents to maintain positive contact with their children:

· Show that you care. Find out where they go, what they do, and with whom. Guide them to appropriate behaviors.

· Where discipline is concerned, always be firm but fair. Find out the details. Explain what was done wrong and what specific changes you would like to see in conduct or attitude.

· Don't waste energy on power struggles. Stay calm. Don't needlessly escalate the situation. Give your children options: say, "these are your choices, you decide."

· Finally, he advises: always do what you say you will do!!!

Mike also encouraged parents to be flexible. He said, "Ask yourself if a situation can be modified rather than eliminated or forbidden." He encouraged parents to show that they truly love their children, even when they misbehave. How do we show that? "Listen." Mike said with conviction.

He also gave these wise words of advice: "The most effective communication tool for any parent is simply to remember what YOU felt like when you were a child."

Then on 5/7/03, Mike returned to continue with his theme, this time talking about "How to Cope with Bullies". He began this seminar by defining bullying behaviors - categorizing them into verbal, physical and relational bullying.

He raised an interesting question: when does normal teasing become bullying? The answer: when there is an imbalance of power, when there is intent to cause emotional or physical harm, when there are threats of further aggression, and when the victim is intimidated, perhaps by use of violence. Bullies are not making a "mistake" - when they victimize others, it is intentional!

Some of the "signals" that your child might be facing a bully at school include persistent, insistent requests to miss school, a drop in academic performance, signs of depression that disappear on the weekend, and unexplained bruises or missing belongings/money.

What can parents do to help their children cope if they are being bullied? First and foremost, don't over react! Stay calm and think clearly! Mike encouraged parents to take the time to talk to their children who may be victims of bullying. Get the details - what happened, when, where? Ask you child what he or she would like to change - what kind of relationships would they like to have with the bully, the bystanders, and others in school?

Brainstorm possible responses, which may include encouraging your child to talk to a teacher or school counselor, asking for support from peers, or explaining to the bully how their behavior is causing the victim to feel. Once a child has a plan of action in mind, the potential for bullying may not cause them as much distress. Most of all, support your child. Let them know that you will stand behind them and help wherever you can.

Mike concluded this informative seminar by encouraging all present to commit to prevention and intervention when bullying is occurring, to help the children in their lives build conflict resolution skills, and to work to expose myths about bullying.

Many thanks to Anne Bockelmann of our HR Department for arranging this fine series of seminars. We would also like to thank Mike Amici and McHenry County Youth Services Bureau for presenting this excellent information, and we look forward to continuing on this same theme during the rest of the summer months!

Schedule a series for your organization. See how much employees value the program and the positive results it will bring your corporation. Call Candy Spasojevich at (815) 338-7360 for more information.