This is my why...
In 2010, I was certified to teach Positive Discipline workshops. The Adlerian philosophy, which Positive Discipline is based, resonated deeply with me. I recognized it as a framework for the way I was already living my life. I saw a need in my community to provide parents with respectful and encouraging parenting skills and I felt passionate about helping to fill this need.
In the 12+ years since I have been teaching, I have touched hundreds of families, but more importantly, they have touched me. I believe that learning is a two-way street and being a workshop facilitator allows me to create a safe learning space where the intricacies and connectivity of our relationships with our children, our spouses and our teachers can be explored.
At its core, positive discipline is about dignity and mutual respect for all. With that understanding, you will quickly realize that the concepts and skills that are taught in the workshop are applicable to ALL relationships.
The interactions and experiences that I have had as a facilitator and now Lead Trainer, have shaped me for the better. I have had the opportunity to learn about many different cultures and environments and am constantly striving to check my own biases to gain a deeper understanding of other people’s perspectives. I also allow myself to be vulnerable as I share my personal life experiences and tell how the core principles of Positive Discipline have worked in my life.
I welcome all humans to my workshops regardless of race, gender, age, and sexual orientation. My goal is to create a safe space where people can come together for tough conversations about parenting, education and more. Adlerian philosophy says that all humans are searching for a feeling of belonging and significance and when we can understand how that striving shows up in individuals, we can go forth with greater compassion and understanding to create a better world for all.
Change is hard work. We need to accept that it is constant, and it is work that must be done. I pledge to be a leader, a teacher, and an encourager, so that those willing to explore, practice and dig deep within themselves can feel inspired to do the work. I believe that the courage to take risks and try (and fail) is one of my superpowers. I also understand the deep need for balance in my life and the name Middle Ground Parenting stems from my core need to search for balance in all things.
– Cathy
“We learn in friendship to see with the eyes of another person, to hear with the ears of another, and to feel with the heart of another.”
“It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow man who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring”
― Alfred Adler