“Kids don’t come with instruction manuals,” says Emma Williams, lead parent educator at Family Services Center, Inc. in Brownwood. “All kids are different, and what works for one may not work for the next.” Williams and several other parent educators at Family Services Center work with parents through the use of computers and DVDs to give parents additional skills and choices when dealing with common family problems. These problems may include such things as children not obeying a direct request like going to bed or picking up belongings, fighting with their siblings, talking back, acting up in public, interrupting conversations and other everyday situations.  Williams added, “We’ve had so many of our parent clients tell us they’ve tried everything to change their child’s behaviors, and nothing works.” After we teach them the skills from our program called Parenting Wisely, they are amazed at the results they get.”

Parenting Wisely is rated a Model Program by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and an Exemplary Program by Family Strengthening, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. It is currently being used in all 50 states and several countries around the world.

The classes are free of charge and can be taught at any location or at the Family Services Center at 901 Avenue B in Brownwood. In fact, because April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, right now, anyone who signs up for a class before April 21 and completes the class by the end of June will be eligible for a drawing to receive six tickets to Schlitterbahn Water Park. There are several options for parents interested in taking the parenting classes.  Two main programs can be presented in either of three ways.  One is a program for parents of children 1 to 11 years old and the other a program for parents of teens from 12 – 17 years old. The parents can choose to be in a group setting or take individual classes. The individual classes last six weeks, and the group classes last 10 weeks. Another option available that is very appealing to many parents of teens (and only the teen program) is the online class. A client signs up with one of the parent educators at Family Services, receives certain passwords, and can participate in the program from their own computer at any time of day or night.

The scenarios depicted in the interactive multimedia are relevant to what actually happens in the home with effective and ineffective parenting methods demonstrated. No self-disclosure is required, and defensiveness is decreased because feedback is made by the computer.

For a demonstration of Parenting Wisely, readers can go to the Family Services website at www.familysc.net. Click on Services, then on Parenting, then on Parenting Wisely at the bottom left. This will take you to the Family Works, Inc. website (publishers of Parenting Wisely) and click on demonstration. To make arrangements to for parenting classes, call Family Services Center, Inc. in Brownwood at (325) 646 5939 or 1-866-211-2255. The center can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.