E-mail: contact@napcan.org.au | Phone: 02 8073 3300
PARENTS PLAY THEIR PART TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY BY SHOWING HOW TO HAVE RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS.
- Being a parent can be challenging. Accept offers of help (especially the ones where cooked meals are involved!)
- Link in with services that support you – New Parent Groups and Playgroups can be fantastic.
- Parenting isn’t always easy. Share your experiences and skills with other parents – it can help you realise that you are not alone!
- It’s ok to reach out and ask for support, from family, friends, services, health professionals and so on.
- Discover what helps reduce your stress and assists you to best care for your children.Listen to your children and involve them in planning things as a family.
- Play with your children. It can be as simple as a game of “peek-a-boo” or reading to them. Playing with children helps build a positive relationship and connection and most of all it is fun!
- Take time out when you feel stressed or upset – look after yourself. Parenting can be positive – notice the good times too.
Make plans for enjoyable “family time” – this can help build close relationships. - Talk about safety with your children. Talk about what being unsafe might look and feel like at home, in their community, online or at school. Make plans about what to do if they feel unsafe.
- Parenting courses can help you be the best you can be.
- Celebrate your children, their achievements, values and interests and support them when times are tough. This will build a strong family that is loving and safe.
- Get involved in your community. Joining groups such as for sporting activities will help you and your children to have fun and meet people.
GRACE & JEREMY
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO “PLAY YOUR PART” TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY:
Being a parent is one of the best things that happened to us. But it also means a lot of things change; now we are responsible for our own little person!
We try to make our house a safe and fun place for our girl to grow up in by playing, reading, dancing, drawing and laughing heaps and eating lots of different healthy and yummy food. As parents, we want the best for her and understanding that our behaviour affects her and shapes her future life, has been a great learning experience for us. We know that there will also be hard times when our daughter will cry and feel sad sometimes, but that is a part of life and we will listen, sit with her and hug her to make sure she knows she is loved.
Sometimes it can be hard balancing work, study and parenting and it gets frustrating and tiring but we made a decision not to smack our daughter because its normally comes from a place of anger and instead we try and set firm boundaries and look at other ways to teach her the right way to do things.
ALEXANDRA BENNETT
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO “PLAY YOUR PART” TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY:
As a mother of two small children I know too well how demanding being a parent can be at times. I am a big believer in the notion that it takes a village to raise a child so I built a village around me. I think it is important to be honest to other parents about the weaknesses we all sometimes have and the challenges we face as that makes them more likely to share their own and ask for help. Sometimes it is enough to have someone to talk to, but other times you need more practical help. I have looked after my friends’ children on numerous occasions when their parents had appointments or the like. Or when I know that they are very busy, like after the birth of a child, I bring a meal over or offer to do some shopping for them. If you support a parent you help a child.
GUYLEEN
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO “PLAY YOUR PART” TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY:
Growing up as an Aboriginal woman, I know what some of the struggles and hardships of life are out there. I don’t want my children growing up around some of the hard stuff I did, so I try to surround them with lots of positive things and practice strong family bonds. Both Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people teach them about the great things of their culture. We go to Aboriginal play groups and the medical centre, because it has been a really supportive and accepting place to talk at and meet new mums. It is nice to just sit around and have a laugh with other mums as well; I used to go there as a baby and the ladies, who work at the medical centre, remember me as well. Seeing my daughter learning and growing up and knowing I had something to do with that is amazing and when she looks at me and smiles it makes me feel so happy.