Efrat has five children and lives in Beachwood.
What do you do to relax?
Go to an art supplies store or walk around Target alone.
What benefits has Connecting for Kids brought to you and your family?
Finding out about grants for my family.
Which have been your favorite Connecting for Kids resources?
I enjoy seeing all the program options that are out there. That limits the amount of research I need to do on my own.
The area where I have grown the most...
Trying not compare myself to others and my kids to other kids. Knowing that I am doing my best with my kids.
What I worry about most…
I worry sometimes about what will be in the future, such as what my children will be able to do or not be able to do, what their lives will be like, but I remind myself to just keep trying to do what’s in my hands now in this moment.
How parenting a child who struggles has changed my ideas on parenting...
Parenting a child with mild CP and some health struggles, as well as children with attention issues and some less complex children, I can say my life is full and I can also say I never imagined parenting would be this challenging. The main lesson my parenting journey has taught me is that I don’t have all the answers, and am skeptical of those who claim they do. How does such a thing even exist? I’ve learned that kids are people and they come with all different personalities, temperaments, needs, challenges …. and each one requires such individual parenting and guidance to help them grow and develop. Who would proclaim with the same confidence that they are an expert at understanding and helping all kinds of people, the same way those proclaim to be parenting experts? Yes, I definitely learn parenting tips along the road from others that I implement where I see fit, but what I’ve learned the most is that each of my kids needs something else, to trust my intuition and advocate for my kids. I think parenting means trying my hardest to give each child what they need. For some kids, that’s therapies twice a week and a bunch of appointments and waiting patiently for them to reach missed milestones. It can mean explaining to others that no, your toilet training method will not work on my child. It can mean staying with a child until they fall asleep, it can mean talking to the teachers again and again… and it can change daily. It can mean picking your battles and letting certain things slide when a kid is having a rough time. Ultimately, I’ve learned that parenting means trying my hardest to support each child as an individual, in the moment, with all the tools I have in my toolbox… all while praying for God’s help that I succeed.
Do you have any recommended resources such as blogs, websites, or books that we can share?
I recommend Nikki Rotschtein, kavanaparenting.com.
