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TeleClasses based on
Connection Parenting

by Pam Leo

Current classes are taught by Rebecca Thompson

Pam Leo is currently ill. A portion of each registration fee will be donated to Pam.

Both parents are invited to participate, whether live on the phone or by listening to the class recordings at a later time. With this material, it is important that both parents have the same information, so there is no additional charge for the second parent or caregiver to participate in the same class.

The book Connection Parenting audiobook is included with each registration in downloadable MP3 format. It is recommended to read or listen to each chapter following the class as a review of what was covered that session.

"Meeting the Needs of Children"

Workshop Description: This seven week Connection Parenting workshop series is for parents, grandparents, childcare providers, teachers, and anyone who wants to bring more understanding, love, and joy to their relationship with children of all ages.

Session 1: Our Parenting Inheritance - What do we bring to parenting from our own childhood? Why is parenting today so much more difficult than it has ever been?

Session 2: Teaching Children Respect - The basis of all loving relationships is treating each other with respect. We teach children respect when we treat them with respect.

Session 3: Healing the Feeling Child - When we learn why "the crying is the healing, not the hurting" we gain a new level of understanding and skill in responding to crying, temper tantrums, frustration, anger and grief.

Session 4: The Gift of High Self-esteem - The way we treat children teaches them what to believe about themselves. We can learn to make the time we spend with children each day count positively for the rest of their life.

Session 5: Communication that Builds Relationship - Words can build or destroy a relationship. We can unlearn negative parent-talk and learn positive people-talk.

Session 6: Discipline through Decoding Behavior - Children don't always have the language to tell us what they need, so they act it out with their behavior. We can learn to recognize "needy" behavior and respond to the need instead of react to the behavior.

Session 7: The Needs of Parents - Parenting never was, and was never meant to be, a one or two person job. Childrens' needs are best met by parents whose own needs are met. We can, in our own community, learn to create extended family who can support us in nurturing our children and ourselves.

Classes will be held on a phone conference line for 90 minutes, once per week for 7 weeks. The cost has been lowered $150 for the series. Classes are limited to 10 participants.

Prerequisite: None
Maximum Participants: 10
Price: $200 $150
What you will need: Some kind of notebook to use as a parenting journal to write in during the classes.

Testimonial:"I am tuning in so much more to my son's needs and that has made all the difference!" -Father of 2

Testimonial:"I am so thankful for this class! My relationship with my daughter is much improved since the beginning of the course. I am thankful beyond words!" -Mother of 3 1/2 year old

Testimonial:"I have really taken the idea of spending extra special time with the children, especially in our morning routine before we go to work and school. This class has really helped to make everything run more smoothly!" -mother of 2

Testimonial:I was searching quite desperately for some parenting guidelines that I could connect with, that made sense, that were not some kind of credo or technique I would have to adopt and put on top of myself. I found some very good books over the years, but almost all seemed, at the end of the day, too idealistic, even a bit dogmatic, and beyond what I could likely manage or sustain. I had a very difficult upbringing. And despite all the love in my heart, despite being able to be a great friend, sister, employee, teacher, and even- mother- despite showing my child all the beauty and magic and kindness I knew in the world- when push came to shove in my household and I was exhausted and had no more "wherewithal" left and my child was needing 10 things at once and my "buttons" were getting pushed one after the other, I somehow "de-volved" into a very different kind of parent, even a very different kind of person. This was horrifying for me, I could not understand the patterning, I did not know how to get out of these painful cycles with my child, I did not know what to do, and I felt horribly alone, and also terribly guilty. I also found that things were getting worse. I was getting more angry, more sad, and so, more worried and concerned. At a certain point, out of sheer desperation, I just chucked all the "rules" well, belief systems, really- out the window. Well, Lord knows I did not chuck all of them, but a good bunch, anyhow! I thought, ok, I don't know what we're going to do, but there will be no more crying, yelling or suffering of any kind at bedtime in this house anymore. You want to sleep at 9:30, fine, my bed, your bed, the couch, I don't care, but there will be no more of this pain at bedtime anymore. In total desperation- and probably during some bout of insomnia, I was searching online, as I had many times before, for some kind of parenting guidance that made sense to me. Somehow, I came across some writing by Pam Leo, and this quote of hers, something to the effect of, "Let's give children a childhood they won't have to recover from". I started downloading her articles immediately. Then I found the book, then I found the classes and eventually a class was being offered that I could participate in. The first class was very nerve-wracking: I felt like I was "coming out" as a struggling parent, but it was so, so helpful. The struggles of parenthood can be so tabboo and so isolating. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these teachings and these classes have saved our family, steering us back onto a really good path, quite strongly helping us back into our hearts, the place from which we always want to be relating with others anyhow- especially our children. My husband has now taken the classes. So now we are both learning, both really quite devoted to this way of parenting, which has proven itself to be so evidently beneficial to our family environment. And more than anything, we are both finally on the same page. The teachings are clear, accessible, reasonable, heartful, and simple to remember. Challenging to carry out sometimes, but so worth the effort. We are deeply thankful for all of the help and guidance from Rebecca Thompson, one of the Consciously Parenting facilitators, and of course, we are deeply indebted to Pam Leo for her obviously tireless search to find a way for us to create positive frameworks within which we may support and communicate with our children and they with us, with balance, presence, love, respect, and connection. These teachings are a jewel, a clear path, very very clear. -Leah, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Testimonial:"The Connection Parenting classes, should be called, "HOW TO COMMUNICATE BETTER WITH EVERYONE, AND UNDERSTAND HUMAN NATURE." These classes not only helped me start to think of new ways to interact with my daughter, but also gave me insight into how all of us relate to each other. These lessons are just as applicable to how we deal with our spouse, friends, co-workers & clients. By trying to connect when you communicate, your communication goes that much deeper and your interactions happen on a much more respectful & conscious level. Thanks for doing this work!" -Howard, Montreal, Quebec, Canada