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Parent Coaching Institute
The Parent Express E-zine

 

The Parent Express E-Zine
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Parent Express for 03-Feb-2010

The PCI Send to Friend
Parent Express Ezine
Feb
2010

As we approach the Valentine's Day holiday, our thoughts often focus on those we love and sometimes those we've lost. This month's Parent Express includes an article written by Kay Kimball Gruder, PCI Certified Parent Coach®, titled "Dare to Share: Parenting Through Our Stories," which encourages parents to authentically use their personal stories to help their children navigate through the many situations life presents. Sharing these stories, from the heart, helps parents and the children they love relate to one another in a way that lecturing simply cannot. Also in this issue, Laureen Chang, PCI Certified Parent Coach®, shares with us a touching poem she wrote in memory of her father. This poem illustrates the wonderful lessons and legacy left behind for us by those we have loved and lost. Also, just in time for spring Parent/Teacher conferences, an article titled "Successful Parent Conferences" by Rhonda Moskowitz, PCI Certified Parent Coach®, helps parents focus on the true goal of Parent/Teacher conferences, setting the stage for the most productive use of both the parents' and teachers' time.

I hope to see you soon at an upcoming event!

Gloria DeGaetano, Founder and CEO

"Gloria, words can't express how thrilled I am to have found The PCI™ and this amazing program. Thank you for all you do to keep The PCI™ moving forward and onward. Your efforts, sacrifices, and vision continue to bless families within The PCI™ and those we coach…"
—Peggy Fitzpatrick
PCI Certified Parent Coach®
Parent Resources, LLC
PCI Training

Apply now to receive a $900.00 tuition discount for March start! (Spaces are limited. The tuition discount applies while spaces are still available.)

Thank you to all those who are calling to apply to The PCI™! Our phones are very busy these days. We are now accepting applications for Spring Quarter. Review our program dates here, including information on early application discounts.

Word is getting out about our innovative, energizing, and highly practical Parent Coach Certification® Training. Because of the overwhelming response, we highly encourage you not to delay in submitting your application for spring start. By planning ahead, you will be assured of a spot if accepted into the program, after the enrollment process is complete.

Please send in the basic application as the first step. Download the application here. Once we receive this document, we will contact you for a phone interview. Transcripts and reference letters can follow the basic application by a few weeks.

Questions? Please call (425) 401-1519 or email info@thepci.org.

Please Note: Phone classes are in the evening time, usually at 5PM or 6PM (Pacific Time) to accommodate the work schedules of our students.

Listen to an audio message from Gloria DeGaetano to learn about the five advantages of Parent Coach Certification®.

"…I have experienced great personal growth through my year of working to become certified as a parent coach. I have seen many changes in myself, in my family dynamics and in my supervisory role in my work life. These changes can be directly traced to my studies and practice of the principles and vision of the Parent Coaching Institute. I have come to believe that the world can be changed, and will be changed, by the practice of these principles and through the coaching relationship."
—Connie Anderson
PCI Certified Parent Coach®
The Joyful Mulligan
For Parents

Working with a parent coach who has received Parent Coach Certification® through The PCI™ is giving yourself a valuable gift as well as a sound investment in your family's future. PCI Certified Parent Coaches® are caring, thoughtful professionals with years of experience working with parents. They have successfully completed The PCI™ Parent Coach Certification® Training Program—a comprehensive academic, one-year, graduate-level program in collaboration with Seattle Pacific University. Through a series of coaching conversations that can be either by telephone or in-person, PCI Certified Parent Coaches® help you re-discover your dreams and design your life for more joy and satisfaction.

To find a PCI Certified Parent Coach® in your area, please click here or call (425) 401-1519 for a referral to a PCI Certified Parent Coach® selected especially for you.

PAR

Visit www.parentappreciationradio.com to listen to programs featuring PCI Certified Parent Coaches® and other experts from around the country discussing topics of interest to moms and dads.

Programs are available as podcasts. Listeners can download individual episodes directly, listen to them from this site using a Web browser, or access them via the iTunes podcast directory. iTunes subscribers will automatically pick up new episodes as they become available!

"An Ode to My Father,"
by PCI Certified Parent Coach®, Laureen Chang
in beautiful memory of her father, T.Y. Chang
Featured Article

Successful Parent Conferences

Rhonda Moskowitz

by Rhonda Moskowitz, M.A.,
PCI Certified Parent Coach®,
Practical Solutions Parent Coaching

Each school year brings with it certain rituals: new sneakers in a larger size (who knew feet could grow so fast?), new school supplies (wow-they use calculators in kindergarten now!) and Parent/Teacher conferences. It doesn't matter if your child is a kindergartener or a senior in high school, at least once a year you will receive an invitation to participate in a Parent/Teacher conference. Based on your experiences in school you may have mixed feelings about this particular ritual. As a parent, though, it's a great opportunity to spend time with the other adults who are supporting your child on a daily basis.

What is the proper goal of this meeting? To hear how your student is doing? To learn about problems? Actually, neither. It's bridge building. That's right, a Parent/Teacher conference is really a construction project. The goal is to partner with the teacher so that together parent and teacher can build the supports the child needs to be successful in school.

Conferences are very time limited as teachers try to meet with every parent. To use your time effectively, you need to have a plan. What do you want to accomplish during this conference and how will you do it?

  1. Assume from the beginning that you and the teacher have the same goal in mind—your child's success. This is a fair guess, since people choose to become educators because they're committed to helping children grow and be successful.

Read the Rest of the Article…

Featured Article

Dare To Share: Parenting Through Our Stories

Kay Kimball Gruder

by Kay Kimball Gruder
Founder, SuccessfulCollegeParenting.com,
PCI Certified Parent Coach®

"If you don't know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don't know the stories you may be lost in life."
—quoted from a Siberian elder

When was the last time you shared a story with your child about a personal success, failure or disappointment? If you have to stop and think it has probably been too long. We all have stories to share, and it is through our stories that we transmit lessons and connect with our children via our emotions, choices and actions. For our children, whether they are 9 or 19 years of age, stories provide evidence and support to the life lessons that we desire to share. Our stories engage them in the details of how we solved a particular problem, overcame a challenge, dealt with an emotional hardship, or dove into an unknown experience.

Sharing personal stories takes time, and in the hurried lives that we often lead the opportunities to incorporate stories get replaced by what I call the "should have/could have" approach to parenting. This approach most commonly sounds like, "You should have studied more" or "You should have gone to bed earlier and you could have gotten up on time." This is one way to give advice, but it will often fall on deaf ears. So while this approach may seem efficient in addressing a situation in the moment, it is not particularly effective long-term. Ideally we want to be sure that we use a mix of strategies to convey the advice and guidance that we wish to impart on our children.

What makes a good story?

Read the Rest of the Article…

Follow The PCI™ on Twitter!

Follow The PCI on Twitter

Interview with Gloria DeGaetano
Listen in as Gloria DeGaetano is interviewed by Leigh Kubin on the Co-Creator Radio Network. Learn why and how the Parent Coaching Institute was created, about the work of The PCI™, and why there's a great need for PCI™ Parent Coaching in today's culture.

PCI™ Launches House Talks
The PCI™ has begun reaching out to the community through House Talks, a gathering at a home or venue, hosted by a friend of The PCI™, in which Gloria DeGaetano gives a presentation, either live or by video conference, about the mission and work of The PCI™. The host invites colleagues and friends that would be interested to know more about The PCI™ and would like to support The PCI's™ mission. Please consider hosting your own House Talk to help spread the word about The PCI™ and its mission to transform parenting. Most importantly, through House Talks, together we build relationships which ultimately benefit parents. For more information, please contact The PCI™ Office.

Self-Aware Parent Blog The new blog titled Self-Aware Parent, written by Cathy Cassani Adams and hosted by Chicago Parent, contains Cathy's personal parenting stories and lessons learned along the parenting journey. Cathy is a PCI Certified Parent Coach® and author of The Self Aware Parent: 19 Lessons for Growing with Your Children.

Free Booster Kit for New Parents
A new free Booster Kit is offered for new parents by PCI Certified Parent Coach® Connie Hammer. Get your kit today and begin to utilize your parenting skills and restore your feelings of competence. One satisfied recipient in Chicago, Illinois, stated, "Being a parent for the first time was a rude awakening for me. I had idealized parenting and this e-course helped ground me and gain new and useful insights. I no longer feel like an imposter because I can parent with confidence now."

Gloria DeGaetano to Speak in China
Gloria DeGaetano, Founder and CEO of the Parent Coaching Institute, will be speaking to parents and family support specialists in Beijing, China in February to discuss the issue of youth screen addiction and how parents and professionals in China can respond to the constant influence of today's media. This event is hosted by Sunshine City College.

Getting Kids to Cooperate and Become Team Players
A free e-book titled "Getting Kids to Cooperate and Become Team Players: 10 Essential Strategies and Solutions" is offered by Susan Heid, PCI Certified Parent Coach®. Sign up for your copy at The Confident Mom.

Upcoming Events

February 6, 2010, 8:00 AM
"Parenting Well in a Media Age" with Gloria DeGaetano, Founder and CEO, Parent Coaching Institute
Naperville, IL
Gloria Degaetano
Gloria DeGaetano is the keynote presenter of "Parenting Well in a Media Age" at Parent University, a day of workshops designed to share effective positive parenting strategies for the parents of children in preschool through high school at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois. The cost is $30 per person for the full day (including lunch) or $20 per person for the half day option.

Friday, March 5, 2010
8:30 AM–4:00 PM
"What Makes Us Able to Say, 'I'm at Home?'"
with Roni Stein, Ed. D
Bellevue, WA
Roni Stein
Members of The PCI™ community and the public are invited to a workshop that explores key ribbons of culture that run through our daily lives. The conversation will focus on how these unique dimensions of culture impact us, our clients, and the communities we live in. Certain kinds of relationships and environments, ways of approaching change and decision-making are all impacted by one's cultural background. This workshop will use the classic work of Geert Hofstede to shed light on the many unexpected culturally-based issues. There will be lots of potential for "aha" moments. The fee for the day is $95 and includes breakfast.

"What Makes Us Say, 'I'm at Home?' was an extremely useful workshop that continues to affect me in my work with coaching clients. Roni captivated us with her own story, shared with us experiences with families over many years of teaching and coaching, and presented resources we could use as we encountered families of various backgrounds throughout our coaching careers. Roni's gentle, yet diligent nature ensured that we would end the day with both knowledge about and empathy toward those of diverse backgrounds, and the means by which to discover more information when we need it. I highly recommend spending a day with Roni exploring this important topic."
—Adrian Kalikow, PCI Certified Parent Coach®

PCI™ Students and Graduates Will Gather in Bellevue, WA on March 4-6, 2010 to Collaborate and Participate in Continuing Education Activities

PCI™ Students and Graduates Will Gather in Chicago, IL on February 5, 2010 to Network and Collaborate

Donate

The Parent Coaching Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and welcomes donations from individuals, organizations, and corporations who want to support its mission To transform the world by revitalizing parenting through prevention and possibility.™ For more information, please click here or contact The PCI™ at info@thepci.org or (425) 401-1519. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

Back Issues

Back issues of Parent Express are available on the PCI Web site. There you can read articles by Gloria DeGaetano and PCI Certified Parent Coaches®, and easily send past issues to friends and colleagues via e-mail.

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This issue of Parent Express was originally published February 3, 2010. Some content, contact information, and links may be out of date, and the conversion from the original email edition may introduce formatting inconsistencies.

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