The idea  for  Empower My Child has been with me since I completed a parenting class nearly six years ago. It was based on the book ‘How To Talk So Kids Will Listen And Listen So Kids Will Talk.’ I came away feeling I had learned so many valuable tools but wished for a way to remember them at the moment I needed them the most. Thus, the idea was born! If my child was wearing a T-Shirt that displayed the message I needed to remember, I would be more apt to apply the skill.

I never pursued my idea until I revealed it to my husband. He not only loved the concept but strongly encouraged me to put it into action. If not for him this project would not have come to fruition. In writing the Lesson Pages for the T-Shirts this project has turned into a labor of love to children and parents alike who struggle with the relationship between parent and child. The Lesson Pages include a compilation of all the knowledge and insights I have gained as a professional Social Worker, a parent, as well as a person just trying to figure out life.

When I completed the narratives I realized I had just written a book. The book has short, concise lessons that are easy to read and user-friendly. When combined with the T-Shirts the book becomes interactive! The T-Shirts serve as visual cues to remind parents to utilize particular skills from the book.

At the time when I took the parenting class I was enduring the agony of a divorce. My kids were acting out in ways I felt incompetent to handle. Although I had a master’s degree in Social Work and years of experience and success in treating clients through their personal suffering, I was at a loss.

With determination I gathered myself, along with the knowledge and experience I gained throughout the years, and made a startling yet simple discovery. I realized that my emotional involvement with my children put me at a disadvantage. I talked to other parents and began to understand that, like me, most parents revert back to how they were raised and how they internalized the experience. When a parent is in the heat of the moment with their child they tend to react to how they are experiencing the situation rather than how their child is processing it. I had an epiphany. Since parents are the teachers in this relationship, the change needs to start with them.

My children are now fourteen and eleven years old. Of course, I still struggle, but there is a difference. I feel more confident to handle these struggles. I am more prepared to “look in the mirror” rather than to just react. This has been a gift to my children as my change has reflected upon them.

My hope is that Empower My Child will be a powerful, positive and fun means for parents to learn the skills needed to empower themselves, thus empowering their children.