For all parents, our first lessons in parenting were those learned from our own parents, for better or worse (in most cases, some of both!). Beyond those early firsthand lessons, how we parent also is shaped by social forces and trends that may work for or against our children’s optimal development (consider, for example the recent trend of helicopter parenting or the old “do as I say, not as I do” axiom). Many parents also struggle to rise above cultural stereotypes, perhaps none more constraining than stereotypes of Black fathers.

 

Andre Dukes, Sr. Director of Collective Impact - Early Childhood at the Northside Achievement Zone in Minneapolis, has worked for 20 years supporting Black men to become the fathers they want to be and, more broadly, teaching reflective practices to professionals who work with children and families from all backgrounds. Don’t miss this heartfelt discussion as Andre joins Mom Enough co-hosts Marti & Erin Erickson to reflect on his own parenting journey, as well as what he has learned from the many parents he has served.

 

WHAT STANDS OUT MOST AS YOU REFLECT ON YOUR PARENTING?

What is your vision of the kind of mom or dad you want to be? How is that the same as or different from your parents – or the cultural stereotypes with which you grew up? Andre Dukes emphasizes that “little moments count.” Think about a recent day in your life and identify the little moments that you got right with your children. What other moments could you have seized if you had been more mindful of the power of little moments in your relationship with your children?

 

 

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT REFLECTIVE PARENTING?

❉ HOW TO PUT REFLECTIVE PARENTING IN ACTION. Listen as Dr. Erin Erickson from Mom Enough shares how to pause, relax, and reflect as a parent.

 

❉ SHAPING OUR NEURAL CONNECTIONS: A CONVERSATION WITH PSYCHIATRIST & AUTHOR DR. DAN SIEGEL. As UCLA psychiatrist Dan Siegel discusses with Marti & Erin, how our “mind” is more than our “brain,” and remembering and reflecting on our own childhood experiences can help us build new neural pathways and new ways of behaving at any age.

 

❉ REFLECTIVE PARENTING: HOW REFLECTING ON YOUR FEELINGS AND YOUR CHILD’S CAN TURN EVERYDAY CHALLENGES INTO BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS. Psychiatrist Regina Pally discusses how reflective parenting  can transform our relationships and the way we help our children learn to understand their own emotions and behavior.