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YourHub.com \\ Golden \\ Stories \\ Tips & Techniques \\ Family Advice

Parenting support & advice when you need it most

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Contributed by: Rich Batten on 3/21/2006

Who do you turn to when you need parenting advice? It used to be that moms and dads turned most frequently to their extended family and friends. In most cases these are the best places to start, but sometimes you want to do it different than mom and a friend is hard to find. When you just don’t know what to do and Nanny 911 is a reality show that doesn’t enter into your reality whom do you go to for help?

The best place to turn, of course, is to the people who know you and your situation best, family, friends, church members etc. But sometimes that just isn’t possible. We live in a time when there is a seemingly unlimited number of books and information on the web about parenting but that too can be hard to access because of there are so many choices.

My recommendation to parents is to call a parent or family support line. Hotlines are not just for dire emergencies. More and more communities are offering Help Lines for everyday parenting issues. Studies conducted on the national parenting hotline in Great Britain reveals that a large and growing number of parents are benefiting from such a service.

What kind of question is appropriate for a helpline? The short answer is anything. Help Lines are staffed by professionals and volunteers who have been trained to come alongside of you with your concerns, provide useful information. If they can’t address the issue at hand effectively they have a list of resources and referral numbers that will probably meet your particular need. The study on the national parent helpline in the UK found that most calls were for behavior management (everyday issues of guidance & discipline), 2) issues related to school bullying, and 3) alcohol and drug abuse concerns.

Obviously a national helpline in Great Britain doesn’t help Colorado Families, so who do you call in Colorado? Without hesitation I recommend the Families First Family Support Line. Families First has trained volunteers available 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the week. At other times, you may leave a message and your call will be returned within 24 hours.

Evaluation surveys of families utilizing the Family Support Line found that vast majority of users found the support line worker helpful, knowledgeable, and provided helpful referrals when necessary.

In addition to on call help, Families First has the resources to connect you with parenting support groups or parenting education classes when you need more than a listening ear or problem solving over the phone.

The key is for all of us is to recognize that asking for support is not a sign of failing as a parent, but rather a sign of strength, demonstrating that we want to do the best for our children. Asking for help is a sign of strength!

Families First Family Support Line 303 695-7996 (metro Denver, 10 - 10 daily)
1 877-695-7996 (statewide, toll-free) Consejos para Familias – 1 866-527-3264 www.familiesfirstcolorado.org

Rich Batten and news anchor Natalie Tysdal discuss Work & Family issues every other Tuesday morning (approximately 6:40 a.m.) on Denver ’s WB2 Morning News. For more tips on family issues visit www.douglascountyextension.org click on “Featured on the WB.”

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Rich Batten

Parker , CO

Rich Batten has posted 826 stories and 2 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Rich Batten's average story rating is 4.71.

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