Life skills education for young people

I’ve been offering advice to parents for over twenty years now. During that time, I’ve helped numerous families to meet the challenges associated with raising a child. In recent months, though, my work to promote positive parenting has taken me in an added direction. As well as working with parents of young babies, I’ve been working with potential parents. Alongside talking to adults, I’ve been talking to young people. In short, I’ve been back to school.

I have to say that I’ve approached taking parenting education into schools with certain expectations in mind. I feel that young people should be encouraged to think beyond the idea that parenthood is just a series of practical challenges. A different approach is needed, one which would give young people a chance to consider the emotional and relationship issues involved in growing up and becoming a parent. I also feel that young people are capable of making informed choices about their future lives. All they need are the opportunities to be able to do so. Finally, I feel that there’s a real need to address the fact that women are still regarded as the primary focus of parenting, rather than as an equal partner in a parenting team.

My verdict so far? Well, I’m pleased to say that my ‘back to school’ experiences have been been extremely positive. Working with young people in an education environment has been a rewarding experience.

In particular, I’ve been in the privileged position of seeing at first hand that young people are both willing and able to consider parenting in a much more thoughtful way than perhaps their parents’ generation did. Through education, it is possible to help young people to consider their future life. In so doing, they have the opportunity to see parenthood as a real choice, something that can be taken seriously, in much the same way that you’d make a career decision. In larger terms, it’s about allowing young people to take control of their lives rather than just ‘waiting for something to happen’.

Above all, I’m left with the clear message that it really is a case of ‘it’s never too early’ to encourage people to think about parenthood. Likewise, there’s never been a better time to consider your future than before you embark on that eventful journey into adulthood.