HOLIDAYS CAN BE HARD
Written by Genevieve Rivera, Executive Director, American SPCC
Over the years of leading American Society for the Positive Care of Children (American SPCC), I’ve been amazed and inspired by the number of caregivers joining our community to find support along their journey of parenting. Because it’s certainly not easy. It’s a path of ups and downs, of uncertainty and frustration running into immense joy and fulfillment – sometimes on a daily basis.
But one key element along this journey is the power of positivity.
I’ve seen firsthand how Positive Parenting strategies have impacted families in dramatic ways. Not only can this approach build stronger parent-child bonds, but it also has the power to prevent generational cycles of trauma such as Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs. It’s something I’ve experienced in my own home, and within our global community of caregivers and child advocates at American SPCC.
That’s why American SPCC is honored and excited about our new partnership with ACE Resource Network – the team behind NumberStory.org – and the creation of a first-of-its-kind toolkit dedicated to ACEs awareness and Positive Parenting education for caregivers of young children.
This toolkit provides parents and caregivers with information to help them understand and meet their child’s needs, create healthy environments, and nurture their growth so children can thrive. It helps parents to reflect on their own childhood, the lasting impacts their own experiences may have had, and support them on their journey as they heal themselves and nurture their families.
Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. We’re often left to figure it out along the way – not knowing if the information we’re given or the actions we take are the best ones available to us. Some may come from a trauma-filled home and have a skewed understanding of what love from a parent looks like, so they pass down what they know. But my hope is that this new toolkit serves as a sort of “manual” for parents who want to grow in their personal parenting journey – to learn the power of Positive Parenting and guide them towards other free, reliable resources that empower them.
For any parent or caregiver with a young child in your life, I encourage you to check out this new toolkit. Whether it provides you with a few pieces of research-backed parenting advice you’ve never heard of or dramatically shifts your outlook on parenting, our intention is that these approaches will help create happy, healthy, and thriving first chapters in your children’s lives.
-Written by Genevieve Rivera, American SPCC executive director
It’s that time of year again, and I am sure you have noticed how fast the Holiday season is taking over stores. For some, this can trigger the body and create stress or dread….
[Content warning: Suicide.]
In recent years, during the month of Pride, I’ve always been extremely excited about the celebration—the glittery and colorful extravagance all throughout the month of June.
However, this year, I’ve taken a pause to really understand my journey, the one I’ve taken individually and the one the queer community is on at the moment. I feel blessed to live in West Hollywood in Los Angeles, one of America’s queer-friendly meccas, though the sparkle in my heart has dimmed as I feel increasingly more concerned for my community across the country where our safety, protections and rights are all at risk. Unfortunately, none of us are safe.
I’ve lived with bipolar disorder for the last 13 years. Though the initial years were brutal, once I understood my triggers and what it takes to stay well, I’ve been privileged to have stayed healthy for much of the last decade. This included — to my relief — my first pregnancy and post-partum period and serving in high-intensity public health roles through the pandemic, as California’s Acting Surgeon General and previously the office’s first Chief Health Officer.
I love music. Recently, I was listening to a random playlist Spotify generated for me when a song titled “Before I Have A Daughter” by Bre Kennedy started playing. Bre Kennedy sings about building a garden that grows on the same ground where tears have fallen and hearts have also been broken. Her goal is to learn to tend to this garden so that it flourishes on both the good and bad days.
