Episode 32: Kristen Seward - Strengthening Families Program

August 13, 2024 00:12:06
Episode 32: Kristen Seward - Strengthening Families Program
Just Say Something Podcast
Episode 32: Kristen Seward - Strengthening Families Program

Aug 13 2024 | 00:12:06

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Show Notes

This week's podcast episode features CEO/Philip Clark and Kristen Seward.

Kristen Seward is the newest staff member at Just Say Something. She has recently taken on
the role of Program Manager for the Strengthening Families Program (SFP). Kristen is
actively involved in delivering and facilitating parenting classes, having just completed
her first cycle of the Parenting Wisely program. Her commitment to family and
community well-being drives her passion for helping parents develop effective skills for
raising children.


Phillip and Kristen dive into the Parenting Wisely program, a five-week class
designed to equip parents with key skills for raising children ages birth to around nine or
ten years old. Kristen shares her firsthand experience of facilitating her very first
parenting class and the impactful outcomes that emerged. As she tells Phillip, "I believe
talking things through with my kids will help them be more willing to communicate with
others as they become more a part of society and help them feel open to talk to me
about anything."

Their conversation continues with a detailed overview of what Parenting Wisely entails,
touching on essential topics such as communication, discipline, and the importance of
routines like sleep schedules. Kristen highlights the surprising insights and skills
participants gain, often reshaping their initial skepticism into valuable learning
experiences. Through personal stories and real-life feedback from participants, Kristen
and Philip underscore the transformative power of these parenting programs. Phillip
explains, "No one has ever said or is saying that any of you are bad parents. This is
professional development for moms and dads."


Key Takeaways:
-Parenting Wisely Program: A five-week class aimed at parents of children aged
birth to ten, covering fundamental topics like communication, medication safety,
and sleep schedules.
-Parent Feedback: Many parents initially skeptical about needing a parenting
class find the program beneficial, providing new techniques and refreshing
essential parenting skills.
-Communication: The class stresses the importance of maintaining open lines of
communication with children, using tools like conversation cards to facilitate
better dialogue.

-Professional Development for Parents: Encourages parents to view the
program as a form of professional development, offering new and effective
strategies for family management.

For more information, please visit us at www.justsaysomethingsc.org or give us a call at
(864)467-4099.


#justsaysomethingpodcast #phillipclark #kristenseward #strengtheningfamiliesprogram
#parentingwisely #discipline #consistency #communication #feedback #development

View Full Transcript

Episode Transcript

[00:00:07] Speaker A: Well, hello there. Philip Clark here would just say something. And welcome back to this week's podcast. I was trying to decide what I was going to say. So today we're going to talk about one of our programs, our parenting programs. Lynn Hooper, who is our, I guess, lack of a better word, parent guru, developed most of our and put together most of our parenting programs and has been doing them for I won't say how long, but a long time. And so those of you that may not know, Lynn takes a summer sabbatical. And so in the past, we've not been able to provide any of our parenting programs during the summer. Well, as things do, they change. And so Lynn has been training one of our staff members and then someone from another organization. And so we've been doing her classes during the summer. And so today I want to welcome our. Let's see. Yeah, you're our newest, newest staff member and is learning, learning, learning. Kristen Seward, thank you for being here. [00:01:37] Speaker B: Thanks for having me. [00:01:39] Speaker A: And so today we're going to talk about parenting wisely. And so can you give our listeners just a brief overview of what it is and who it's for? [00:01:52] Speaker B: Okay, so parenting wisely is just a short, it's a five week class that parents can attend. And this is parents for kids ages birth to about nine or ten. And we just go over just kind of some basic skills, things like communication, learning about medicines and the importance of, you know, locking things up and learning about different medications. The parents can learn about, you know, the importance of sleep schedules and, like, we'll go over even, like, the ages and how many hours they should be sleeping and things like that. And I just think that they get a lot out of it, even though some of the things, you know, we might think are maybe too repetitive or kind of basic needs. But I think everybody ends up kind of getting something from it. [00:02:52] Speaker A: Okay. All right. Yeah, I know Lynn has shared some amazing stories over the years. And so as we look at this, you just completed your first cycle, which is five weeks, and you came to my office one day and said, here, I want you to read this. And so without mentioning any names, of course, I want you to let our listeners know what this is, why she gave it to you, and then highlight some of the key points out of it that, that she got from those five weeks. [00:03:37] Speaker B: Okay. So each parent who attends the class, by the end of the sessions, we have an exit exam, which that's just ten questions, just kind of our basic information that they learn throughout the class. But one of the other requirements is for the parents to do a parenting plan. And so, and we also make it known that, you know, we don't want you to just tell us three things that you learned in the class, but we want to know things that you took away from the class and how you're actually going to apply it at home with your kids. All right, so that is kind of what this plan was that I received. [00:04:18] Speaker A: Okay. [00:04:20] Speaker B: So I just kind of took chunks of it. Do you want me to just read these certain chunks? [00:04:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:04:26] Speaker B: Okay. So this is part of the reason why I thought this one was good, because of just how she started it. So she said, when I was required to take a parenting class, I believed that it was not necessary. I felt that I had a good sense on how to raise my children. Now that we're reaching the end of the classes, there were actually a few skills we discussed that I could see myself implementing with my children. [00:04:51] Speaker A: So that right there is, I'd be willing to bethe 99 and 99, 100% of the parents that we come across or even that don't come to our programs. If you say anything about parenting, the response is going, I know how to parent, or I don't know what I'm gonna do with this kid. That's the. He's or she's the one with the problem, not me. [00:05:19] Speaker B: Right. [00:05:20] Speaker A: So that kind of fell right in line with. With that. [00:05:23] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. And I know even for me, starting the class, that was one of the first things of how I started the class was letting them know, you know, I'm also a parent of kids this age, and I'm not up here because I have it all figured out. I'm also taking things from this class and trying to apply it at home, and we're all just learning. So I feel like that's important. [00:05:48] Speaker A: Very much so. [00:05:50] Speaker B: So one of the key things that she said that she talked about that she got out of it was communication. She said, communication is a skill that has always been important to me. I believe talking things through with my kids will help them be more willing to communicate with others as they become more a part of society and help them feel open to talk to me about anything. I really like the conversation cards that were mentioned in the class and plan to get them for my family to add some variety to our conversations. So that was something, too, that I thought. Like, as teaching the class, I like to try and give examples of things that, you know, I try and do, and that was something that I had just mentioned and talked about. That my family and I do that I thought was really important. So I really liked that. She liked that also. [00:06:41] Speaker A: Good. [00:06:43] Speaker B: Oh, and the other thing she said that she plans to model more in front of her kids, how her and her boyfriend communicate with each other. And she was reminded in the class that our kids learn by listening and seeing that them as the parents, they are like the biggest role model. So just. Yeah, so I think that's something that we always know as parents, but just kind of getting that reminder, I think helped. [00:07:10] Speaker A: Right. [00:07:11] Speaker B: And so that resonated with her and then. Yeah, and discipline. She said that mainly being consistent with the things that I say to my kids in terms of consequences for their misbehavior. She learned that in the class that that's key to effective, positive discipline, and that she realized that's part of the battle for her. So she plans on trying to write down particular rules and the consequences so they're displayed for her and her kids to see. So that way maybe they're more consistent. So just things like that, you know, probably things that she knew already, but it was just hearing it and being. [00:07:54] Speaker A: Reminded of kind of a refresher course. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Right. [00:07:57] Speaker A: Parent 100 and then parent 101. And we can go to 201 and 301. And it is good for those of you that have kids out there to, um. No one has ever said or saying that any of you are bad parents. Just like I always equate it to professional development that our bosses try to provide us with professional development so we can do our jobs better. Well, this is kind of professional development for moms and dads. Um, reminders, new techniques and things along that line so that they can hopefully use at home. [00:08:44] Speaker B: Right. [00:08:45] Speaker A: So if there's a parent or someone out there that was like, hmm, how do I find out more? [00:08:54] Speaker B: Then I would say to go to our website. And should I say what the website is? [00:09:01] Speaker A: Yeah, go for it. [00:09:02] Speaker B: So the website is www. Dot. Just say something. And we have a drop down menu where you can go to all our programs, our different parenting programs, and on there, we'll have, you know, when the dates are for the classes, and then there is a registration click button that you can do. [00:09:25] Speaker A: Yep, we make everyone pre register for our classes. If you're in Greenville county, there's no charge for any of our classes. We also want to let you know that all of our classes are available in English or Spanish. And so we just feel like with our community, that's something that's very important to us, that we also provide this for our hispanic community. So are there any parting words that you would like to share for a parent out there that may be questioning something that's going on in their household as far as a resource or one of our programs, whether it's parenting wisely or back in control or Triple P or. I can go on and on and on. [00:10:19] Speaker B: Yeah. I would just say, you know, if there's something particular that you are struggling with or even if you're a parent who thinks maybe it's not necessary to take a parenting class, to just check out the website, see the different programs that we offer, because we offer them for parents of ages from birth to teenage years, and that to just be open to learning some new skills. [00:10:51] Speaker A: Okay. And Kristen is our SFP program manager, and so she, she's stepping out a little bit, and this was her first class. And, you know, it's almost like seeing the, the excitement of achieving something. It also, this was allowed her the opportunity to also grow as a professional in this world, in the nonprofit world with just say something. So I will appreciate and want to thank you for that. And this was just your first class of many, many, many. [00:11:32] Speaker B: Yes. And I'm looking forward to it. [00:11:34] Speaker A: Good. Good. All right. So mom's, dad's caregivers. She says she's looking forward to it. If you don't ever register, we'll never see you, so be sure to check us [email protected]. or give us a phone call at 806 4467-4099 I hope you continue to have a great day, and we will see you next Tuesday.

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