[blparent] Taking advantage of parenting classes

Tue Feb 28 21:21:21 UTC 2012

Thank you for this.
Maybe I'm weird, but I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the future at least not where kids are concerned. I figured bedtime would develop as it would and if it wasn't working, I'd find a solution that did.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 3:51 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Taking advantage of parenting classes

The Hadley courses didn't have hands-on lessons like diaper changing.  The
courses were more informational.  The pregnancy one described what would
happen to your body and how the baby was developing at each stage, how to
find a good doctor and questions to consider asking, how to get yourself
comfortable at the hospital where you would deliver, what to expect at the
hospital, that sort of thing.  The courses on infancy and early childhood
had sections on what to expect at each stage of a child's development, plus
health tips to look for, basic care and tips on dealing with issues such as
sleeping, feeding, toilet training, discipline, whatever the child's needs
were at that age.  There was also good info on the milestones of
development, what parents could do to play with a child at his or her level,
warning signs to look for and when to call a doctor.  Like I said, things
that were most helpful to me tended to be tips from sighted parents who had
children at each age.  I don't think it was absolutely essential for me to
take the courses, that is, I could have done okay without them.  But they
gave me some ballpark ideas of what to expect at different times, and they
made me start thinking about how I would deal with issues as they came up.
An example is that I started mulling over what I wanted Sarah's bedtime
routine to look like when she went into a big bed, long before that actually
happened.  I liked the sample menus provided for kids of different ages
because I had some idea of what their serving sizes were, variety, etc.  I'm
not going to argue the point of whether people should take parenting
classes, because that's an individual choice, but I found the Hadley courses
helpful for myself.

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: "Tammy" <tcl189 at rogers.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 1:21 PM
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Taking advantage of parenting classes

> Hi,
>
> I never really took a parenting class, but I think what they're supposed
> to teach is the basics,diaper changing, child proofing, etc
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)
> Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 12:49 PM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'
> 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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