Your new baby has arrived and the steep climb up the learning curve begins. In these early days, parenthood is made up of equal parts joy and stress. You’re faced with a tangle of advice and opinions everywhere you turn. Even your team of amazing supporters – your parents, family and friends, your own partner - can sometimes unintentionally add to the confusion and overwhelm. The question is, how do we create a safe and helpful “village” of support for ourselves?

This two-hour practical workshop addresses building communication skills, one of the foundations of a healthy and happy family. We will focus on communication skills that will help to strengthen your relationships with your partner, with your parents and with other supporters. You’ll learn how to recognize and work around the common obstacles to productive conversations. We’ll give you practical tools to help build more harmony with your partner, parents and your whole village while you clarify your parenting philosophy, beliefs and choices.

Who’s invited? This workshop is designed for anyone who will be involved in the early days of a new family: new parents, grandparents and other “villagers”. You can come on your own or bring someone along so you can work together.

The cost of this workshop is $60 (cdn + tax)

You will complete this workshop with a checklist of tools and resources that will help you:

•       Identify what help you need as a new parent
•       Acknowledge the needs and choices of new parents
•       Understand the grandparent or support person’s perspective
•       Let go of control so you can accept help (when being in control helps you feel secure)
•       Explain your parenting decisions and choices to your supporters
•       Create and rehearse “rescue” phrases in response to unsolicited advice or during moments of disagreement
        (rescue phrases allow you to cool off or take time to think about your next action)
•       Create productive conversations with your supporters around COVID and your boundaries for safety.