‘Triple P’ Parenting

by Kerry Robertson

Wouldn’t it be nice if kids came with instructions? Just about every parent has times when they could use a little advice on how to raise their child. Well, Vancouver Island parents can now get more help with the challenges of parenting through a program called Triple P. Triple P offers simple parenting tips, but leaves it up to parents to decide which behaviours they want to work on with their children. Triple P is available, free of charge, to all Vancouver Island residents to help them with parenting their children through their growing up years.

Triple P is a Positive Parenting Program that offers simple solutions to make parenting easier. It offers as much or as little help as parents want through the Triple P website, tip sheets for common problems, group courses or one-on-one sessions. Triple P offers a program tailored for each parent.

Triple P was developed and tested for more than 25 years by Dr. Matt Sanders and his team at the University of Queensland Parenting and Family Support Centre. Dr. Sanders is known internationally for his research on the role of parenting in the prevention and treatment of behaviour problems in children. Triple P is now being used in many countries around the world and continues to be researched and improved upon.

A special effort has been made to train Triple P practitioners—the people that parents already go to for guidance (after their family and friends) such as public health nurses, family doctors, early child care educators, preschool and public school teachers. The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) and the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) sponsored training in Port Alberni, the Duncan to Port Hardy regions and, most recently, in the Victoria area.

Why is Triple P being offered to Vancouver Island parents? Research shows that parenting is vitally important during a child’s growing years, but so far, little help has been out there for parents to help them with the “job” of raising the next generation. VIHA, the school districts, and the MCFD are working together to support parenting and child development.

There are several ways to find Triple P. Visit www.triplepvip.ca where you’ll find a list of Triple P locations and more information on the different Triple P programs. Also, the website offers suggestions from real life stories of Triple P parents and links to other websites for Vancouver Island parents.

You can also call your local health unit to find contact numbers in your community. Posters and brochures with local information will be in Vancouver Island schools and medical offices.

The keys to positive parenting are simple and basic. Focus on the positive while giving ways to manage behaviour you want to change.

Some Positive Parenting Tips
• Build a positive relationship with your children by giving lots of loving physical attention such as hugs, cuddles and holding hands.

• Encourage behaviour you like by immediately telling them exactly what they are doing well. “Thank you for cleaning up”... “Thanks for doing what I asked right away.”

• Teach children new skills by first modeling the skill yourself and then letting the child practice, such as cleaning up the dishes after dinner.

• Set rules and give instructions. Sit down and have a family discussion on the rules in your home so everybody knows what is expected. Let your child know what will happen if the rules are broken. Rules need to be few, fair, simple to follow and positively stated. Success comes with consistency.

• Respond to misbehaviour immediately, consistently and decisively. Stay calm. Tell them what you want them to stop doing and what they are to do instead. For example, “Stop throwing. Play with the truck on the ground.”

• Have a realistic outlook. All children misbehave at times and you will have some discipline struggles as your child is learning and growing. Trying to be the perfect parent can set you up for frustration and disappointment.

• Take care of yourself as a parent. Try to find time every week to let yourself unwind and do something that you enjoy.

Why take advantage of Triple P? Parenting is an amazing, wonderful, and rewarding experience. It can also be a very difficult job. All parents could use some help. Take advantage of this chance to use Triple P in your parenting, help yourself to some instructions to go with your children. Make raising your children easier and more enjoyable.

Kerry Robertson, a retired high school Drama teacher, a community theatre producer, and mother of two children, is the media coordinator for Triple P programs on Vancouver Island.