The Family Advocacy Program at Army Community Service is offering several parenting classes to help raise healthy Army families.

Scream free parenting for a healthy Army family

The Family Advocacy Program at Army Community Service is offering several parenting classes to help raise healthy Army families.

The most recent class titled “Scream free Parenting” follows lessons learned from the book “Scream free Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool” by Hal Edward Runkel.

FAP Manager Amanda A. Carreras taught the class on April 23 and will be teaching other classes to include Family Advocate Insights at 9 a.m. on May 14 and Sept. 10; A Daddy’s Love at 1 p.m. on June 18; At home CPR Education at 1 p.m. on June 4 and Nov. 7; Car Seat and Child Passenger Safety at 1 p.m. on July 9 and Dec. 10; and a Self-Defense Course at 9 a.m. on Oct. 1 and Nov. 19.

The book covers four parts which include: Becoming the “Cool” Parent Your Kids Really Need; Keeping Your Cool Means Creating Space; Keeping Your Cool Means Creating a Place; and Putting Yourself Into Practice.

In the book the author described scream free as learning to relate with others in a calm, cool, and connected way, taking hold of your own emotional responses no matter how anyone else chooses to behave; learning to focus on yourself and take care of yourself for the world’s benefit.

“My goal for this book is simple: to calm the world, one relationship at a time, beginning with your relationships with your kids,” Hal Edward Runkel.

Carreras said the book is used by the FAP at Garrison installations and addresses the different approaches to being a scream free parent.

Carreras said Runkel talks about the importance of managing ourselves as adults emotionally and being the emotionally mature grown up in the family.

She said he talks about learning how to open the lines of communication with our children from a young age helping to set the stage for their teen age years.

Carreras said Runkel talks about how parents often give their sanity and emotions to their children, and they are the ones in control, or they have this outlook that parents are supposed to do everything for their children and their lives revolve around them.

“If we allow our kids to be our world, what happens when they are no longer there? We don’t have a responsibility for our kids, we have a responsibility to our kids.”

Carreras said Runkel talks about how parents think they need to set their kids up for what they are going to do as adults. Parents focus on that so much that they often forget to be in the present with their children and miss out on spending time with their children and truly getting to know them.

She said Runkel also touches on giving your children space. She said you need to give them space and a place so they can come to you when they want to talk.

Carreras will also help teach Parent-Teen Communication Challenge at 4:30 p.m. April 25 at the Middle School and Teen Building 1318. The challenge is designed to provide positive communication strategies and tools for parents and teens to help strengthen their bond with one another. The event is for parents and youth registered for care at the CYS Middle School Teen Center only. Dinner will be included, and parents can earn 10 parent participation points.

Other upcoming events include the first WSMR Community Baby Shower for expectant mothers at 1 p.m. April 25 at the ACS Building 250. There will be games, speakers, a backdrop for maternity photos, valuable resources, and giveaways. Expectant mothers are encouraged to attend the event closest to their due date. Additional events will be held Aug. 29 and Dec. 19. Information on the Women Infants and Children program will also be available for expectant mothers. The WIC program helps expectant mothers kick of a healthy journey they can then pass on to their babies. The event is sponsored by the New Parent Support Program.

The New Parent Support Program provides resources for spouses and gives them knowledge and skills to become healthy Army families.

By Miriam Rodriguez

WSMR Public Affairs