Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

Parental Resilience – Being Strong and Flexible. As parents, in order to deal with the stresses of life, we need to be strong and flexible. We need to be able to bounce back (resilient) when times get tough. Our mental health needs to be good so that we can be present and deal with long-term solutions instead of just reacting to every situation as it comes up. It helps to have role models and resources to be able to deal with challenges while raising your children, especially if you were treated harshly as a child. Family-serving programs can help us form trusting friendships with people who can help us stay healthy and resilient. By creating a welcoming space for supportive relationships to develop among parents these programs help us become and stay resilient.

Social Connections—Parents Need Friends. When parents have positive, trusted friends in the community, there is a support system. We can think about problems together, give each other rides and meet other needs as they come up. Together, we work out and show the ways in which family and community problems should be handled. It is important that we get to know each other so that we know we always have support. We are not alone in dealing with the challenges of parenting. These relationships also give us people to celebrate with when things are going well.

Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development—Being a Great Parent Is Part Natural and Part Learned. Children do not come with a manual. Parenting is a learning process, and we need to understand normal child development. When our children are acting out or engaging in challenging behavior, we need to have a way for dealing with that behavior that does not involve bad punishments.

Concrete Support in Times of Need—Everybody Needs Help Sometimes. Everybody needs help sometimes, and families that can get help when they need it are able to stay strong and healthy. It is a sign of strength to ask for help when you need it. Whether the need is caused by a crisis—like a death in the family or loss of a job—or an ongoing issue such as substance abuse or depression, being able to ask for and receive help is important in keeping our families strong. Sometimes the first step in getting help is seeing that our children’s health (mental and physical) depends on it. Often it takes a caring person in the community to help connect us to what we need, whether it is job training, transportation, food assistance, or mental health services.

Social and Emotional Competence of Children—Parents Need to Help Their Children Communicate. Children need to learn how to manage their emotions, express their needs and feelings, deal with conflict, and get along with others. When children can do these things, our job as parents becomes less stressful. There are quality programs—family support, early childhood education, after-school, and other programs—that help children develop social and emotional skills and work with parents to understand children’s feelings and actions. They can help us understand what is normal and what is not for children at a given age group, and they can help find signs that a child has special needs or developmental disabilities or has suffered trauma. They can work with parents to get help.