Coaching Parents

The unique method of Growing Up Catholic is its sole focus on coaching parents to form their own children. Your role as a parish leader changes under this focus. You become the one who forms other adults – the all-important parents or guardians who have kids preparing to celebrate their First Confession and receive their First Communion.

This focus is so important to Growing Up Catholic because we know that if the parents are not invested at a high enough level to walk their own children through the formation and preparation process, there’s virtually nothing you can do to overcome that. If the parents aren’t involved, the parish program simply cannot substitute for them. Period.

What We Know Does NOT Work

  • It does not work for a parish leader to try to form and teach a child, if the parents are not involved.
  • It does not work well for most parents to form their children without the support of the parish.
  • It does not work for all the learning to be “head learning.”
  • It does not work for eight, nine or ten-year-old children to be exposed to long textbook lessons—no matter how often you do it—unless there is a parent or guardian at their side, witnessing, assisting, touching, and guiding that child.

What Do Parents Need from the Parish?

If parents are to be the main ones forming their children, what do they need from their parish?

Encouragement & Confidence

First, they need to be encouraged to embrace this role.  Many may not understand that as their role, or may not believe they can do it. 

Education & Formation

Parents need some help to learn more about their faith.  Many may not have had any kind of faith formation since they were children.  They need to understand and have a lived experience of their faith in order to pass it on.

Activities & Ideas

Parents want to pass on their faith, but they often have no idea where to start.  Simple goals and suggested activities (backed with the information they need to do them) can make a huge difference.

Resources

We can help parents by helping them learn where to find answers for particular situations. Sometimes that "resource" may be a staff member or volunteer at the parish, but that is not always practical.  But we can also provide online resources or books, which can sometimes be even more empowering.

Community

Finally, parents can really benefit from a supportive community of other parents and guardians.  Parents can coach each other: sharing ideas, brainstorming, and giving each other encouragement.