“Being here made me feel more normal…and that I wasn’t alone in all of this.”
– Michelle Crespino, parent
“Having a weekly group of parents with babies of similar ages was magical. It is amazing how much peace of mind I gained from hearing (and seeing) other families going through similar situations.”
– First Three Years Parent
"Besides making friends with other parents in our groups, we really appreciated the information in our Wonderful ONEs group in particular, which gave us some insights into how our child was thinking and learning. It has helped us make thoughtful parenting choices."
- Tanya Fuller
"Because of our Parenting Now groups, I realized that we weren’t alone in what we were feeling or experiencing. The group brought things to our attention that were critical to being a parent."
- Allison Weatherly
"Parenting groups, like those at Parenting Now do a great service to parents because they show them what’s OK in their kids – and it’s almost always OK.”
– Dr. Jaylynn Kao, MD
"Without Parenting Now, I would have gone crazy! As a nurse I had delivered many children but I knew nothing about taking care of a baby…Parenting Now has been wonderful for me!"
— Cindy
"The group provided me a never-before-experienced arena in which I could be free to share my fears, background, desires, and ask for help. And, I found I wasn't alone; there were others who were just as frightened as I. Two more siblings arrived a couple of years later and I again joined another group. I entered the new group with no fear, lots of excitement, more confidence, and an awareness that I had certainly changed -- I had become a healthy, safe, loving and relaxed mom."
— K.H.
"This group has helped me to better imagine other possible responses to my child than what I could come up with alone. While I've read a lot of parenting books, this group allowed for some of those principles to be more fully explored, and I've benefited from this expansion of perspective and imagination."
— First 3 Years parent
"Our whole discipline approach has changed. We no longer get stuck in big stressful battles about food. We are now more likely to talk through issues directly instead of just reacting."
— First 3 Years parent
"It is hard to explain the loneliness, mixed with frustration and exhaustion, that a new mother—or, in my case, the mother of an infant and a toddler—feels in the months that follow the arrival of the baby. But this loneliness, which was doubled for me because I was new to the area, was almost eliminated by Parenting Now. From the time I delivered my baby—I was given a Parenting Now poster at the hospital—Parenting Now was in contact with me. This contact with the Parenting Now staff and my group—which has made me feel that I'm not alone in sometimes feeling overwhelmed by everything—has helped me become a member of the community and, I hope, a better parent."
— A Parenting Now parent
"The most important lesson I learned from Parenting Now was to be realistic in the expectations that I had for myself as a parent. Through my group I learned that people need to know that there is not one particular way of parenting that is right—that it is a dance between members of a family that changes to meet different needs as time goes on. It was such a relief to share with others the joys and the difficulties of first time parenting with an understanding and supportive group of people. That kind of exchange is priceless. Parenting Now gave me and my family such a gift—very close friends, 'family' actually. Having been fairly new to Eugene, we didn't have any friends with children in town. Our infant group has been meeting for four years now, and we have a wonderful group of close friends that we can always count on to make up for our families being so far away. (This includes my 2 best friends!)"
— Lynn Dixon, parent
"For those of us without family in the area, the members of the group become our family. My 10-month-old daughter became quite ill recently. In the course of nursing her back to health I contracted pneumonia. My doctor ordered complete bed rest. At that time it was not possible for my husband to take time off from his job. My Parenting Now group pitched in to help. In addition to babysitting my daughter in their homes, they took turns providing us with an evening meal and even volunteered to clean the house! Quite frankly, I don't know how I could have managed without their help and caring."
— A Parenting Now parent
"Building relationships with other families with kiddos the same age was invaluable. Great exercises that lead to conversations and exchanges in tips and ideas that I will always be grateful for as a first time parent."
— First 3 Years parent
"I'm a huge fan. First, I liked learning the milestones and what was in store for my son. And then there were the friends I made."
— Parenting Now dad
"Because of the First 3 Years, we have fewer tense 'showdowns' at home. We have more ideas about how to find help. We have a better idea of how to communicate rules and expectations. There is less confusion for us and for our daughter."
— First 3 Years parent
"I think my child has benefited from this group in that I give her more space to be herself without (as much) judgment. Again, knowing better what is 'normal' behavior has helped me relax more around her when she might be off track/disoriented."
— First 3 Years parent
"I have more confidence and ability to solve problems. My parenting stress level is lower."
— First 3 Years parent
"We learned that being more patient with him (our child) helps him to be more patient with us."
— First 3 Years parent
"Parenting is the most important job we will ever have. Parenting Now was an incredible place to meet other parents and develop a support group for all of the ongoing challenges of parenting. We started Parenting Now when our baby was 3 weeks old. She was the youngest in our group. It was the best decision we ever made to join a group. It helped so much those first few difficult months. Being a first time parent is wonderful and yet stressful. Our group really helped each other along the way. Now as most of our group is close to one year we are miles away from where we started—more confident, more educated, more supported."
— Tasha Lane
"It has given me the skills, guidance that I needed. It has prevented me from having to learn, figure out by trial and error, and having my child suffer from my ignorance."
— Parent in Terrific TWOs group
"I really appreciated the time and space given to parents to share their highs/lows and experiences. This had such an impact on my understanding of what was 'normal' behavior for a two-year-old."
— Parent in Terrific TWOs group
