Parenting speaker examines roles to help parents
by Beth Beach, Reporter

    Parents can find ways to manage the roles of work, school and family without driving themselves insane according to a representative of The Parenting Center.
    Help for Dual Role Parents, a lunch presentation on SE Campus by Lore Mitchell, was the first official contact between TCC and The Parenting Center.
    Mitchell's topics included rules and survival tips for busy parents as well as what should be expected of children at different ages.
    M. Kky Gatson, a participant, commented about worrying over tasks not done.
    "I learned to slow myself down and found that I started enjoying life É I don't let that weigh me down," she said. Mitchell advised that when organizing one's time, it is important to know one's peak productive time during the day and to use that time for the activities that are hardest to motivate one's self to do. Home life also enters the picture.
    Mitchell said organizing one's home in order to produce the most housekeeping results with minimal effort is stress reducing as well.
    "Get rid of as much clutter as you can," she said.
    Evaluating one's expectations of himself is of paramount importance, according to Mitchell.
    One of the ways to have realistic expectations is to "relax the timeline" when it comes to college course loads, Joyce Fisher, SE Campus counselor, said.
    Mitchell told students to consider the effect of people's expectations in relation to their own well being.
    "Be proactive rather than just reactive to everything coming at you," she said.
    Some practical parenting techniques were also discussed. Mitchell said it is important to have a routine time of day to devote to one's children.
    "Car time É that's a great time to use for talking," she said.
    Mitchell warned parents to avoid "parenting out of guilt." Instead, she said, parents should establish with their children that their choices relate directly to the consequences they receive. When parents react out of guilt, it often causes this method to be ineffective, Mitchell said.
    "It is critical to get to know other parents so you can network and help each other," she said.
    Mitchell also distributed information about The Parenting Center's classes and Warm Line.
    Warm Line is a source of parenting advice available through The Parenting Center from noon until 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
    Call 817-332-6399 for details.