“Before, I was worried that the things I was doing weren’t right but now I am more confidence in what I am doing as a parent.”
I needed something to keep me sane because I’m stuck at home the whole time, and then I heard about Kids Matter at a play group I attended. I told my friend Natalie about it and that’s how she got into it as well, with her little one.
Before starting the group, I was worried because I don’t like speaking in public but the parents in the group were people that I generally knew from play groups so it was quite nice. I think I was quite quiet at first but then obviously once the others start talking, I’d something to react to and felt more comfortable offering input based on my own experiences, I ended up talking as part of the group, with no one focusing only on me. It was nice to know that there are other people in a similar situation to me; that it’s not just my children going through certain things.
We compared our different situations and quickly realised that whatever we were going through was normal. We suggested different ways of doing things, which was quite good.
Before, I was worried that the things I was doing weren’t right but now I am more confidence in what I am doing as a parent. I have two older children (10 and 12 years old) and two little ones (20-months and 3 years old) and I’d forgotten what worked with the bigger ones, so it was nice to be reminded of star charts and rewards in the Kids Matter sessions. It was good to know about different ways of rewarding the children and how to encourage them in different ways, as well as being more confident in what I am doing with them.
Kids Matter was a good social event – meeting up with other mums – and the food was a real treat. It was a nice thing just to get out and have something to do. The kids were all together so they got to mingle as well, which was good for them. I’ve gained friendships as have my children.
Kids Matter builds confidence and opened my eyes up to different ideas and different ways of doing things. Help is out there if you need it!
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals concerned.
The attached picture is not a representation of the individual concerned.