The Parenting Journey Never Stops

Raising four children as a single mom should earn you the Doctorate of Motherhood degree. But parenting doesn’t work that way. Carol, whose children are grown, recently found herself helping raise her two granddaughters ages 5 and 9, and took the STAR Program’s Parenting Journey I class for extra support and tips.

“I thought I had it down pat with parenting,” Carol said. “But you’re never too old. Especially with this new generation, with the difference between how you were raised, and how you raised your children, and now raising grandchildren.”

STAR’s first Parenting Journey class, Faleshia, Vivialyn, Selena and Carol graduated May 11 at SUNY Downstate, Mother’s Day Weekend. There will be another class, but there’s no date yet, said Rosa Benitez, class organizer and STAR Program care coordinator.

Vivialyn encouraged any and all parents to take the next class.
“It’s very educational,” said Vivialyn, a stay-at-home mom in East New York with eight children. “It offers you insights on the do’s and don’ts, the what’s and ifs and ands. And I get along with Rosa. She’s a very good teacher – a facilitator.”

The small group met for two hours a week for 12 weeks, participating in hands-on activities and guided discussions on parenting, family-style meals and complimentary childcare.

“I really enjoyed this class,” graduate Selena said. “It’s homey. It’s comfortable. You can talk about anything. The group is different because Rosa is not a robot. She’s a human.”

The Rev. Sharon Walker blessed the mothers May 11. No matter how tough parenting may be, she urged them to remember, “You have been handpicked for a ministry that you are capable of handling. You are not called to be perfect. We make mistakes. Sometimes we beat ourselves up because we aren’t perfect, but I want you to leave here today knowing you were handpicked for this ministry.”

The Parenting Journey philosophy is that caregivers want to be strong, positive role models. Then, the best way to raise hope and strengthen family relationships is to start by identifying the caregiver’s strengths and to build from there.

“It’s an accomplishment of dirt and grit,” Rosa Benitez said before distributing certificates at graduation. “You search for where you want to be in the hopes of being better. Parenting Journey doesn’t ask, ‘What’s the matter with you? It asks, what matters to you?’”

For more information on the STAR Program’s Parenting Journey class, email Rosa.Benitez@Downstate.edu.

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