[blparent] Taking advantage of parenting classes

Tue Feb 28 18:38:07 UTC 2012

Who said you can't train for being a parent?  I don't think you can 
anticipate every problem or challenge that might come up, but you can 
definitely arm yourself with some basic information.  I especially liked the 
blind-specific info in the Hadley courses.  Besides that, I got a 
certificate that I have in my just-in-case file.

Jo Elizabeth

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, 
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of 
the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been all of 
these."--George Washington Carver, 1864-1943, American scientist

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 10:49 AM
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Taking advantage of parenting classes

> I'm going to rain on this parade, but if you can't really prepare for 
> being aparent, what's the point of the classes?
> I'm serious with this question.
> If you can't train for it, why train at all?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
> Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2012 3:32 PM
> To: blparent at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [blparent] Taking advantage of parenting classes
>
> Jo Elizabeth,
>
> I agree with you. I didn't mean to suggest it was wrong for Hadley to
> offer parenting classes or for anyone to take advantage of such a class.
> Like you, even though I have child-care experience, and I have been a
> second mommy to Penny for more than a year (complicated story with
> Penny) my husband and I are reading a ton of material and looking into
> various classes and groups we can participate in. As prepared as you
> think you are, once baby arrives, so much changes and a lot ends up
> involving common sense and quick problem solving skills, grin,
> regardless of a disability or not. My comments were directed solely at
> societal ideas still buying into the notion that blindness is an
> automatic risk factor when parenting, and that anyone would insist we
> "prove" our ability to parent based only on disability. Hadley's course
> sounds interesting and definitely something to check out.
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at:
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:57:37 -0700
> From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Child Protective Services & blind parenting
> Message-ID: <SNT116-DS336E8EBA4E5A59E48CB80AC640 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>        reply-type=original
>
> Congratulations on your pregnancy, Bridgit.  I agree that we shouldn't
> have
> to prove our ability as parents just because of our blindness.  But I
> also
> believe that, at least for me, I couldn't be too prepared.  The thing I
> liked about the Hadley courses is that there were tips included from
> other
> blind parents, some of which I borrowed for my own box of tricks.
>
> I have a file tucked away in a drawer that includes my certificates from
>
> Hadley, the documentation from the baby care class I took at the
> hospital
> before Sarah was born, the report from Social Services that says nothing
> was
> found to be amiss at my house, the letter from the home nurse stating
> that I
> finished the visitation program, the notes from our pediatrician from
> each
> yearly visit at which everything was said to be fine, and the results
> from
> the voluntary test at the health department that told me my daughter was
>
> developing within normal emotional and social limits.  If and when I
> ever
> have trouble again, from my own family or elsewhere, I'll be well armed.
>
> Even Sarah's dad thinks I'm at least a little paranoid.  Once burned,
> twice
> shy.
>
> One final thing--I fear the day when every parent has to take classes or
> get
> certified.  I've heard people suggest that, usually in the context of
> teen
> pregnancies.  But I know full well that blind parents would have a devil
> of
> a time passing any class or certification that could be proposed, not
> because of lack of ability, but because it would take proving ourselves
> to a
> whole new level.  Scary thought.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
>
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