Parenting with Grace

Abstract

Parents are often caught off guard by the upheaval of adding children to their lives. Feelings of guilt, shame, isolation, and depression can arise when parents are faced with the demands and stressors that come along with having children. Studies have shown that children who have distressed parents endure lasting negative outcomes that can extend into the primary school years (Mihelic et al., 2018). Educating parents and giving them some awareness about what to expect can make a real difference. To have these conversations, I created a two-part parenting workshop for new parents at Parents’ Place in Pacific Grove, CA. The workshop provided a foundation for the parenting journey, highlighting important components of parenting, emotional triggers, self-care practices, and grounding techniques. In addition, some basic tools were discussed to manage this life change and to work on “parenting with grace.” Grace for themselves and grace for their children