Widowed Parenting: Tools, Tips and Tactics for Parenting after Loss™

Being a parent is hard enough but when we lose our parenting partner, the challenges can be overwhelming.  We just can't be in two places at one time. What was once a familiar routine can seem like chaos. Our children may act out or regress in their typical development. There may be difficulties with extended family members. Then of course there is the grief in its many forms: sorrow, anger, a glimpse of hope and then back into the darkness again. And trying to hold it all together, to be strong, for the children we love and are now solely responsible for. There are so many decisions to make and we can feel very alone.

Well, you are not alone. There are others who are walking along beside you. Together, we have strength, resilience and hope.

This class will bind us together in our parenting journey and discuss issues that are common to the experience of widowed parenting. We will laugh together and maybe even cry together. And we will certainly learn together as we focus on practical, time-tested, evidence- based tools and techniques for calming the chaos and raising resilient children.  

We will discuss how to:

·         Match the kind of support you get with the support you really need

·         Use systems and routines to create consistency and reduce chaos

·         Talk with your children about difficult issues including grief, dating, etc.

·         Gain cooperation around doing chores, homework, etc.

·         Put an end to power struggles, arguing, whining, and complaining

·         Set limits and enforce them without anger, frustration, nagging, lecturing or giving in

·         Raise confidant, resilient kids with good coping skills and hope for the future 

Lisa’s message is: "You can do it!" After this informative and entertaining workshop, you’ll walk away with immediately applicable tools, a lighter step, and hope for the future. 

BIO

Lisa C. Greene, M.A., CFLE is a professional parenting educator and coach since 2004. As an international public speaker, author of several books and resources, and mom of two teenagers with special healthcare needs, Lisa focuses on family resiliency, transition-readiness, medical adherence and parenting.

With the unexpected loss of her husband in April, 2015, Lisa has walked through another aspect of parenting that most families don't face: widowed parenting. She has taken what she has learned in her prior work with families coping with grief, trauma and loss due to childhood illness and adapted it for families coping with the loss of a parent.

Lisa holds a master's degree in Family Life Education from Concordia University, St. Paul and has met the stringent requirements for full certification by the National Council on Family Relations as a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE). She is also an adjunct professor for the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciencesat Concordia University.

Lisa lives with her children in the beautiful Seattle, WA area. She enjoys family time, travel, adventures, reading, the outdoors, writing, and the Seattle Seahawks. Connect with Lisa at www.HappyHeartFamilies.com.