By Kevin Wilson
Esther and I recently started a support group for parents. We felt isolated from other parents and wanted to build a community of encouragement and support for anyone interested. Our hope was to create a space in which parents could share questions, fears and thoughts about parenting, funny stories and even share burdens together as we became friends.
Everyone needs a hand to hold, even parents. Credit: Flickr, BuckDaddy
Esther and I facilitate the discussion, and currently we watch a video called “Shepherding A Child’s Heart,” which is about parenting from a Christian perspective. (It is in no way a prerequisite to be a Christian or even “spiritual” to be a part of this community.)
So we watch the 30-minute video and talk about it together and there are no wrong responses to the material. We simply ask “What do you think?” and “How do you feel?” Our priority is to encourage each other and build a community of support for all of us, whatever our worldview and whatever our family situation.
We meet at our house on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., and we all pitch in for babysitters who watch our kids upstairs. (And the kids have a great time). And there is always dessert, too, which I find to be especially therapeutic after a challenging day of parenting.
Let me know if you are interested. You can reach me at kevin@confluencechurch.org, or find me on Twitter, @wilsonkev.
Kevin Wilson is the Pastor of Confluence Church in Champaign. He is an active volunteer with C-U One-to-One Mentoring and Motherlands Multicultural Resource Center in Champaign. Kevin is married to Esther, who works in curriculum development in Champaign schools. They live in Champaign with their three children, Kael, Emma, Seth and their yummy Chocolate Lab puppy, Mollie.
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