They don't send you home from the hospital with a manual.

I remember coming home from the hospital with our first son. It was incredibly hot and we immediately took him to the only cool place in the house – the basement. We were so excited, proud. Then it hit us. We were scared. They didn’t send us home with a manual. His first cry was a rude awakening – what do we do? Will we be good parents?

If you think about it, parenting is one of the only things that doesn’t have any prerequisites or licenses. To drive, you have to take a written test and driving test. To be in many professions, there are degrees or certifications. The only thing the hospital requires you to have to take your baby home is an installed car seat. They don’t even check if you can feed and clothe your baby, never mind if you are capable of parenting.

We found the old adage to be true: Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems.

And at least in this area, everyone seems to have perfect marriages, children and homes. Most don’t talk about the problems they are having. So learning from each other is generally not available. In fact, parents with “those children” often feel shunned from others.

I wish that Positive Discipline parenting classes were available around here back then. They really do help you understand yourself and what is causing your child’s behavior. You learn and practice different tools and strategies for parenting. They help you build better relationships with your children, so if the going gets tough, you have a strong foundation together. The classes provide a safe and supportive environment to talk about what’s going on in your home, and problem-solve with other parents, using a new set of skills.

So now, I guess there is a manual…and a class!

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