“I just want to know that I am doing a good enough job.” These are the thoughts of mum-of-four Nicola Mallon and participant of Parents Under Pressure, a South Eastern Trust led programme to support parents develop positive and secure relationships with their children.
Delivered at the Colin Family Centre in Dunmurry, the eight-week programme is designed for families for who there are many difficult life circumstances that impact family day-to-day functioning. The overarching aim is to help children have optimal development, by supporting parents facing adversity, develop positive and secure relationships with their children.
Nicola who lives in Lisburn, shared how much she was enjoying the programme. “It is very rewarding and I am enjoying the company of the other people within the group. For me, personally, I am hoping to feel better as a mum in myself. This is the second session of the programme and I am learning how not everything has to be perfect all the time. You can do your best and I am hoping to find ways to improve on doing that for me.”
Nicola continued, “I am really enjoying the session. The setup is very relaxed, it is very chilled being with the other parents. I realise that I am not alone.
“By coming to the group, I am figuring out how to be the best parent I can be. Find ways to be able to cope with the busy household and find ways to put boundaries in place that help with everyday life. I have learned that everyone has their own experiences. Not all experiences are going to be the same as yours, there are no right, wrong answers and you can speak openly,” said Nicola.
South Eastern Trust, Family Assessment and Intervention Service (FAIS) Senior Social Worker, Victoria Roy explained how at its core, the programme asks, “What it means to be a parent.”
“The programme realises that the parents we are working with, are parenting children in the midst of ‘real world problems,’ such as relationship issues, worries in regards to finances or problems in regards to substance misuse. The take home message of the programme is, if you can tune into that child, and build that emotional resilience you are starting from a very good foundation.”
“Throughout the programme and the eight weeks, we have mums and dads coming who want the best for their children and we ask them from the start, ‘What type of parent did you set out to be?’ ‘What do you want for your child?’”
“We have had good feedback from our parents who are taking part through discussion and interaction with us and each other.”
