Go down to your local community center and you’ll probably find that somewhere on their schedule, mixed in with the yoga, the gardening classes and the soccer games, are parenting classes. They sound unassuming – after all, who needs a class to teach you something humans have been doing for millenia? But as it turns out, those rather mundane sounding classes may have something far more wonderful to offer the average parent – a chance to avoid CPS.

How do parenting classes minimize your chance of CPS interventions?

It sounds strange – the idea that attending a parenting class could mean a smaller chance of having a CPS worker poking around in your life, but stats are showing that there’s validity to this claim. In fact, a mom from Bay City recently shared her experience with media outlet WNEM.com, and explained how a parenting class offered by the CAN Counsel changed her life, and helped her be a better parent. After losing her child to CPS, and serving time in jail for drug-related felonies, she went to rehab and took parenting classes, which she said have made all the difference in the world.

One mid-Michigan mother’s experience with parenting classes…

In an interview with WNEM.com, Jaimie Estep explained some of the coping skills she learned in the parenting class. “They teach you redirection, redirecting your child. So instead of getting all mad and frustrated with them if they’re getting into something, you just redirect them to something else. You get angry, just take a 10-minute break, a space away, cool down, come back, talk about it.” She notes that if she had only known this info sooner, parenting would have been a very different experience for her.

Raising kids is a challenge, and CPS isn’t helping much.

Parents who are themselves trauma survivors, whose lives are full of stress, and whose coping skills are barely enough for day-to-day survival, sometimes just can’t cope. Kids have temper tantrums, push all your buttons, and need constant supervision. For a parent who is clinging to the edge of sanity by the skin of their teeth, it can be overwhelming. But where do they turn for help? How do they manage when they feel helpless, or furiously angry, or brokenhearted? And that’s usually when mistakes are made, and CPS steps in to make a bad situation worse.

Struggling parents need a great team on their side

If you’ve made a mistake in disciplining your child, or lost your temper because you reached the end of your rope and no one was there to support you, we can help. At The Kronzek Firm we understand the challenges you face, and how easy it is to get lost in a single moment. So if you’re a loving parent whose been accused of child abuse because of a single mistake, call our skilled and compassionate attorneys at 866 766 5245. We’re available 24/7, including weekends and holidays, for emergencies. And don’t forget to join us next time for a look at what parenting classes offer, and how they can help.