What Participants Say About Circle of Parents
"I'm a single parent and I have three children. So they gave me hints to do things different ways, people who have actually been in situations that have kids the same age that I do. So they know what the problems are that I have and they understand." - single parents group participant
"I don't have a lot of outside friends and support for my daughter, because I'm a single mom. I need that group every week. I've developed and I need to go to it and get advice from everyone, the support. It's more of a help than I thought it would be." single parents groups participant
"One thing that I love about our group that I didn't really know to expect was how people are not judgmental of each other. People come and bring all sorts of stuff, and everyone is open to listen and not to judge, but just to go, oh man, that must be hard. So it's much more sharing instead of, well, she shouldn't have done that. I just never have gotten that feeling of people judging each other. Instead, it's like how can we help you and what can we do to make things better? It's just being there for each other." parent group participant
"The fact that it makes me a better parent, because I feel that I'm not doing it wrong, or that it's okay to put them in time out, or whatever people are suggesting to me. It's like I'm getting reinforcement on what I'm doing as a parent." parent group participant
"The best thing of the group for me is that we are open, we don't try to keep stuff from each other. If we don't agree with something that someone has to say, we do give our opinion. And it's not like we start a big riot over it. No, we take it in and we can voice our opinion. We all feel comfortable." teen parents group
"The best thing about the group is that it's so enjoyable I don't want to leave. I feel so exhilarated and confident about being a parent. And going home, I feel like I really got a break and got adult conversation. And even though it's mainly about the children, it's still that time away. And I love the feeling when I leave there. I feel like a brand new parent." parent group participant
"It's definitely a family-type situation with all of us. I think the real positive of our group, and especially for me too, is that as human beings we second guess ourselves, especially as parents. Did I make the right decision, am I crazy? And sometimes kids can make you crazy by the end of the week. And you go in there and you find out that somebody else's kid did something just as ridiculous or worse than yours did during the week, and you feel, geez, I guess I'm not as bad a parent as I thought I was. I raise RAD children, Reactive Attachment Disorder children. I'm a special needs adoptive parent. And my kids are off the wall. So when I come in and say some of the ridiculous things that I've gone through to these other parents, you can almost hear that ooh, somebody else has gone through this. It's not like my kid has this major defect and am I going to stunt them for the rest of their life. So I think that's wonderful, that we all are leaving with a positive sense of reinforcement, knowing that we are doing a good job." special needs parenting group participant
"Sometimes I feel like, oh, maybe I should just have answers. And I don't. And, yet, then I think, no, no, no. It's way better not to have answers because we draw upon the wisdom of the whole group. And sometimes there is no answer. Sometimes someone has a problem to which there really is no answer. It's just a matter of being there and saying we feel for you, we care about you, and we want to see you next week, and we're with you on this. Without saying you can solve it; there are a lot of things you can't solve." parent group leader
"I really like the idea of circle. Because in a circle everybody is on a equal playing field. Everybody has a chance to give their opinions. Everybody is looking at each other. It's not like someone is in charge and all the other people are over there. It's more like. . . a circle to me talks about the equality of everybody. Every link in a circle is equally a part of it." (for the branding section) parent group participant talking about "Circle of Parents" name.
"Parent self-help support groups are effective because parents are the experts; parents have been there and done it. When you get information from someone who has already been through it in some way, it is more effective." parent leader
"The real important thing is that with a group you learn, in more than one way, that you're not alone. You realize you're having the same problem as someone else. The same problems and issues affect everyone all over the country." parent leader
"With my group, the help is there all the time; we share phone numbers. I know I can pick up the phone and talk to someone to help me get through a real tough time. If your anger is boiling up, just knowing that you can pick up the phone and nothing will happen is a real good feeling. Someone on the other end of the phone will help calm you down and get you back." parent group participant
"Parent support groups are a world of information. There are so many different views and ideas. I will find someone in the group who can give me information to get started on the relationship and how to deal with the problems. If someone in the group doesn't have first-hand knowledge, they often have other resources, like books or other groups. They share resources as well as the experience." parent group participant
"Most men think they don't have a problem and won't talk to anyone else. Men take care of problems themselves. In my group we teach sharing, which teaches that it's ok to be vulnerable and to ask for help. You can't always do it alone. And certainly it's ok to show your feelings. This helps fathers get in touch with their children on a much more emotional level. My relationship with my children was much better once I got involved with these groups." fathers group participant
"The biggest thing I learned was that whatever the problem and however big it was, there was always some way and somehow to find a solution. You might not get the answer that night, but somehow, no matter how big you think the problem is, you will get an answer. Someone says, 'Here's what you do.' You go home and try it, and it works!" parent support group participant
