Global Parenting Network

12/31/2021

Family. The first Genuine Organization and MOST Important of ALL. Embrace Your Family Without Compromise in 2022 and beyond. We, Parents, are the Architects of EVERY Future. Handle With Care.

My poem demonstrates the importance of family. Sometimes we take them for granted without even realizing it. They are the ones who are there when no one else is. No family is perfect, but they were given to you for a reason. So saying I love you more often can soften a difficult day, and a little hu...

11/30/2021

As WE prepare to launch our 2022 Parenting Ambassador Academy training, the one overarching theme has been the promotion of Parents as Genuine Leaders. But, OUR emphasis is expanding and transitioning to a platform of Stewardship. Parents are the quintessential STEWARDS of OUR human quality of life..
The idea of choosing to SERVE others over self-interest seems to fit more accurately than the platform of Parents being Leaders.
It's MUCH MORE!!!!!!
Our Parenting Ambassador Academy will be the bedrock of Conscious STEWARDSHIP for Families and Communities through the Global Parenting Network cadre of these Special Ambassadors throughout the world.

10/21/2021

Recently we asked for responses to our query regarding the "Purpose" of Parenting. Today, we would like to receive your thoughts regarding whether the role of Parents is to serve as a CARE GIVER, DOOR KEEPER, HELPER in some way, or a LEADER? Your response will be critical to our efforts to reinforce the position and role of Parents on multiple levels. Thank you.

07/06/2021

NORMAL to RESILIENCE
Greetings to ALL of you. I must confess, I have been like a soldier that's MIA or Missing In Action recently while attempting to help Parents wrestling with the massive challenges associated with where we are as humans on this earth.

The trigger for me has been the constant course or HOPE of "Getting BACK to Normal". Yesterday I heard it from a Parent in the Philippines and another from a Parent in Colorado Springs and yet several others from various locations over the last several weeks.

With the relaxed messages from various authorities regarding masks, social distancing the reopening of public venues, the cautious optimism of various levels of participation is causing some confusion in trying to return to NORMAL, whatever it might be.

I have not been a "good boy" when the conversation jumps to returning to NORMAL. Why, because I don't believe such a focus to be healthy nor an accurate ambition for anyone and certainly NOT Parents.

I have been attempting to change the language along with the mindset. It has been an uphill struggle for me and may have caused some to prefer their quest for the return to "NORMAL" versus the direction I have been prescribing for Parents.

I see us living in the "Eye of a HUGE Storm" of DISRUPTION to our Social and Economic foundations. In my opinion, the Health issue, which has NOT gone away but possibly shifted gears to the delta virus, impacts nearly all of our Social and Economic lifelines.

As such I have maintained my personality of a GEEK and researched and dug for answers to share with Parents as PRESCRIPTIVE as I know-how. The language I have attempted to introduce to Parents has been met with mixed understanding or not accepting because I am NOT the popular source of information.

Last week the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank hosted a national series of discussions that delved into many of the elements of our changing society from personal and business experts. It was an outstanding multiple-day presentation and I was proud that the organizing entity and host were our own Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. I started to seed a couple of the conversations with some of my Parenting talk and to my resistance to any talk regarding returning to NORMAL by boldly interjecting the language of RESILIENCE versus NORMAL.

Yes, my pitch or prescriptive wordsmithing is around the word and mindset of RESILIENCE.

Resilience is the capacity of any individual, household, community, organization of a natural system - to respond to disruptions, to recover from shocks and stresses and learn and grow from the experience. In my world, this is quite natural and normal for any Parent and is possibly in EVERY Parents's job description. It is a REQUIRED skill as a Parent and has worked to society's advantage since the beginning of time.

One of my resources expresses "as you build the resilience you become more able to prevent or mitigate stresses and shocks you can identify and better able to respond to those you can't predict or avoid. You also develop a greater capacity to bounce back from a crisis, learn from it and achieve revitalization." This resource goes on to suggest that as you become more adept at managing disruption and skilled at resilience building, you will be able to create and take advantage of new opportunities in good times and bad. In my world, it is a position or opportunity to manage through TRANSITION.

If you allow yourself to think about where we are with the challenges of today, the challenges are more common than unique because we live in a world that is now and has always been defined by disruption.

I will give you a break and not go into my full dissertation in this email. However, there are three broad areas of disruption we might consider during these times of transition: 1.) Urbanization - the changing dynamics of our cities' urban and metropolitan communities. 2.) Climate Change - Hurricane Elba, Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina to name a few. 3.) Globalization - the listing of the impact of globalization is exhausting, so I will refrain from listing even a few.

Resilience is the recovery tool to new standards and behaviors in our society.

Again, Parents make adjustments on the spot from the moment they learn they are becoming a Parent and even more so once they become a responsible Parent.

07/02/2021

Traumatic Experiences
When a child endures a traumatic experience, the whole family feels the impact. But adults hold the power to help lessen its effects. Several factors can change the course of kids’ lives: feeling seen and heard by a caring adult, being patiently taught coping strategies and resilience-building techniques, and being with adults who know about the effects of such experiences. Here are ways to bring these factors to life.

Sesame Street in Communities brings free video content of everyone's favorite, furry Muppet friends as they help children and the adults in their lives reach...

06/30/2021

RECOVERY, RESILIENCE & RESPECT
There has been much media coverage, opinions and influence over the last two years in reference to RACE Relations or EQUITY and Health triggered by the coronavirus or COVID-19 crisis.
Very little has been published, shared or promoted from “Ground Zero”. Where is Ground Zero? It is from the Position and Role of Parents.
The Coronavirus has created major disruptions and distractions from the lives we were all accustomed to living. It does not matter if it was a high-profile life or a common profile life – everyone and every family has been impacted by the virus.
Parents are now and have always been the TRUE First Responders to any of an endless number of life and family challenges that find their genesis or beginnings in the home and among family members. The publicly acknowledged FIRST Responders are present in nearly every case in response to a Parent making a phone call in response to a dilemma or challenge beyond their skill set. We view those of the professional response teams as the Public Professional Reaction Team. We could not survive without them and greatly appreciate their responsiveness in ALL matter of emergency.
Ground Zero is the location and the presence of the most familiar and responsive person to do all they can to remedy every situation and are quick to realize when a situation is beyond their capabilities. The Parents are the Leaders at Ground Zero and make the all-important call.
The issue of RACE and EQUITY is another area that is and can be best managed from Ground Zero also. Home is where the conversations and influence are germinated. If society seeks to find a difference making forum in this and areas similar to it, it can begin at Home at the tutelage of Parents. Ideas, thoughts, values, character and opinions oftentimes are influenced by the environment or home. Yes, there is the dreaded garbage on television and other media resources but Parents have greater influence than any media source. There is much that is being said and NONT said to influence beliefs and actions in this area. Parents CAN make a difference.
There is a common refrain being echoed daily as a campaign to return to “NORMAL”. Much has impacted how we live, choices we now make and resources within our grasp. We at Global Parenting Network suggest the word “NORMAL” be replaced with one of the most common natural skills of a Parent. The replacement would be from NORMAL to “RESILIENT”. Why Resilient? Because Parents are managers of constant change and correctness through their responsive nature 24 hour a day to the issues of family, survival and growth for everyone. Being Resilient in an autopilot behavior of most Parents.
Resilience in Parenthood has been defined by some through statements like: Parents are more likely to achieve healthy, favorable outcomes if they are resilient. Resilience is the process of managing stress and functioning well even when faced with challenges, adversity and trauma.
Resilience can be and often find itself as a tool to Recovery including our recent Social, Economic and Health challenges.

Lastly, the mindset of RESPECT is something that seems to have been lost in the dynamics of change so pervasive in our changing society. We ask that EVERYONE pause and take a deep breath to embrace the idea of RESPECT and NOT let it disappear completely.

06/07/2021

UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL DAY OF PARENTS 2021
For those parents who missed our dynamic Zoom Conference, please enjoy this presentation below co-hosted by the Global Parenting Network and News 5 Cleveland, with multi Emmy Award-winning Investigative Reporter, our Moderator, Jonathan Walsh.

On June 1st, GPN partnered with News 5 Cleveland, and the United Nations to host a dynamic zoom celebration of parents with multi-Emmy Award-winning Investig...

05/28/2021

The Global Parenting Network is honored to announce that News 5 Cleveland Investigative Reporter and multi- Emmy award winner Mr. Jonathan Walsh will be our Moderator for our June 1st Zoom Conference to celebrate the United Nations Global Day of Parents.

Investigative Reporter at News 5 Cleveland

05/18/2021

Is being a Parent a position of Leadership to You? If so, what type of Leader? If NOT why would you think You are NOT a Leader.

I ask because I wish to begin a series of notes reinforcing Parents as Leaders by speaking of Leadership skill areas I will be teaching in the near future.

Please respond with honest feedback.

02/27/2021

Parents are some of the busiest people anywhere. Balancing so many things is the true job description of an active and fully present Parent.
Obviously, in today's world, there are significant issues of Health Maintenance, Economic Stability, Education, Relationships including EQUITY, various forms of SAFE Interaction for Parents and each family member.
Yes, it is more than a full-time job with no direct compensation. The rewards present themselves through a feeling of SUCCESS in completing a task or seeing a family member doing well and more.
We have always embraced Parents as holding the single most critical and natural position of Leadership in ALL of Humanity.
There is a DETERMINATION to be Correct and complete in every task a Parent is faced with either consciously or unconsciously. However, oftentimes we may second guess ourselves and occasionally doubt whether the path chosen was the correct path. STOP second-guessing!
There is a special and possibly unique process of engagement Parent apply in nearly every situation. we refer to it as the Whole-LIfe or BIG Picture approach to nearly everything. While Parents may appear to be reacting to a specific situation, there is often another more expansive process that begins prior to becoming engaged or finding answers. Parents are gifted with the "Whole-Life and BIG Picture" subconscious mind that oftentimes begins with one word -"IF". If this happens then it could lead to . . . . Or if this doesn't happen the long-term results could be . . . .
So, Please respect and appreciate the CHARACTER of the Parenting Mind and its total indulgence while being very protective in nearly EVERY situation.