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Should parental classes on toddler behavior be offered during pregnancy?
Results so far:
| Yes | 72% | 70 votes | Total: 97 votes | |
| No | 28% | 27 votes |
Yes
by Cassie Kristof
Created on: March 31, 2008
When you are pregnant all you really think about is the birth and making sure the nursery is ready for your new baby. What you forget is that the baby isn't going to be a baby for too long. Soon they will grow into a toddler and when they hit the 'terrible two's' (which often hits at around 16 months and lasts for 16 years!)parenting becomes a whole new challenge! Hey, in that case maybe the classes should be given to teenagers to prevent them having kids too early - some of the footage of screaming toddlers (or even an afternoon spent with a toddler who has refused to have a nap) might put them off for quite a while!
Parental classes should definitely be offered during pregnancy, I'm not saying that everybody should take them (we all would like to think that our child will be perfect). But I truly think it's important for parents to at least be informed of what aides and classes there are out there.
I have just recently completed a parental class on toddler behavior management with my husband and am so glad we went. Our toddler is not one of the worst cases out there, but he is certainly no angel. The whole time I was listening to the lady that ran the class and all throughout the exercises we took part in, I was thinking 'I wish I had known this earlier'. It would have saved so many arguments and tears to have known how to better manage a toddler and how to keep both parents using the same strategies!
It probably wouldn't feel like the information was overly pertinent at the time you are pregnant. But I'm sure the minute your toddler dropped to the floor in the middle of the supermarket to throw a full-on arms and legs kicking and screaming tantrum the prior warning and information would all come flooding back!
Prevention as they say, is better than cure. So by all means offer the parenting courses to mothers whilst their little darling is still in utero and give them the chance to try and prevent problems before they occur. Or at the very least let mums to be out there know that help is available for when those terrible twos really do become too terrible!
Learn more about this author, Cassie Kristof.
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No
by Tina Lehman
Created on: February 01, 2008
Pregnancy is a time of great change in a couple's life. There are many things to prepare for, including learning to cope with the pregnancy itself, childbirth, breastfeeding, and infant care. Hours can be spent concentrating on these important things, so sparing expectant parents the additional strain of what will face them in two years' time is probably best.
Toddler behavior is complex, and dealing with these tiny people on a daily basis is exhausting. One day they will love peas. The next day they throw them at you. A bump on the head will results in giggles one minute, or streams of tears the next. Why? Who knows. Predicting their actions is virtually impossible. And chances are once you begin to get things figured out, they will change.
Toddlerhood comes after parents have been parents for a couple years. This is critical. By this time parents have developed the patience that is necessary to parent a toddler. This patience will gradually develop through dealing with your toddler daily, and cannot be taught in a class. Established parents also tend to worry less than new parents.
Parents of babies need an entirely different base of knowledge than parents of toddlers. Pregnancy should focus on learning how to cope with more impending issues than toilet-training, sibling-jealousy, and pacifier-weaning. Frankly, the prospect of becoming new parents will be less frightening that way.
Additionally, every toddler is different. Some are very strong-willed and spirited, and need extra patience and special guidance. Others are passive, or more laid back and will require an entirely different set of parenting skills. Unfortunately it is impossible to know before they are born, into which category your toddler will fall. As your baby develops, their personality will begin to emerge. This is the time at which parenting classes should be considered. In many instances, they will prove to be unnecessary.
I tend to be a 'cross that bridge when we come to it' kind of person. Parental classes on toddler behavior should be offered to parents of toddlers (perhaps along with a little therapy or free drinks). Offering them to well-intended expectant parents is just cruel.
Learn more about this author, Tina Lehman.
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