News

SIMCOE, SEPTEMBER 13, 2013 – Parenting is one of the most rewarding but difficult jobs, and one that usually comes with little to no training. To help with this, Public Health Nurses from the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit have created a series of online videos on positive parenting.

Six short videos called “Power Up Parenting” have been uploaded to YouTube and gives tips on how to deal with common parenting issues. These one to two minute videos deal with topics such as discipline and talking to kids about difficult issues. The videos can be accessed by searching “Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit” on www.youtube.com, and clicking on any of the videos on the Power Up Parenting series. Viewers are encouraged to share the videos with other parents who might benefit from the information, and are always invited to call the Health Unit for more information.

“We wanted to make these videos because we wanted to get important information across in a way that would be fun and easy to access,” explained Gillian Raffay, one of the Public Health Nurses from the Health Unit who appears in the videos. “It’s a fact that people are getting their information on the Internet, and a lot of people learn best by example – which is why online videos makes sense for a lot of people.”

Positive parenting is a style of parenting that relies on structure, limits and enforcing rules. A large part also involves input from kids, as positive parenting encourages parents to work with and talk to their children. “Every parent has their own parenting style, and that’s okay. Most parents do feel they need help sometimes, and that’s what these videos are for,” said Leia Bulosan, another Public Health Nurse also featured in the videos.

“Long-term benefits of positive parenting for kids include better self-control, communication skills, and thoughtfulness,” noted Raffay. “These skills will take kids far in all aspects of their lives, and that’s accomplishing the Health Unit’s and parents’ goal – helping kids succeed in life.”

More information about the Power Up Parenting series can be found online at www.hnhu.org/parenting or by calling 519-426-6170 or 905-318-5367.

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Media contact:
Gillian Raffay
Public Health Nurse
Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
905-318-5367 ext. 310
[email protected]