Walk a Little Plainer

“Always kiss your children goodnight, even if they’re already asleep.” - H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Page 7

chicken instead of pork chops if there is a chicken coupon. Don’t compromise on health to use a coupon; don’t buy a 10% juice beverage with a coupon instead of 100% juice without a coupon or settle for high sugar cereal with a coupon in place of a healthy cereal without. WALK A LITTLE PLAINER Walk a little plainer daddy Said a little boy so frail, I’m following in your footsteps And I don’t want to fail Choose off-peak hours. Sometimes your steps are very plain It is much more effi cient and pleasant to schedule supermarket visits when the store is empty. Mornings, after people are Sometimes they are hard to see So walk a little plainer daddy For you are leading me. at work and older children are in school, are I know that once you walked this way quiet in grocery stores and lines are short Many years ago or non-existent. Later evening for working parents, or early mornings on weekends are typically light. Take note when visiting or just call and ask a store manager, “When is the store is at its most quiet?” Schedule visits And what you did along the way I’d really like to know For sometimes when I am tempted I don’t know what to do So walk a little plainer daddy For I must follow you. during off-peak hours. Workers are much more pleasant and helpful on a whole when not facing hoards of impatient customers. Someday when I’m grown up You are like I want to be Then I will have a little boy Hug the perimeter. Who will want to follow me The healthiest items in the supermarket are found along the perimeter of the store. Fresh produce, meats and seafood, and the dairy cases all sit along the outer edges. And I would want to lead him right And help him to be true So walk a little plainer daddy For we must follow you. The majority of cart time should be spent along the perimeter. Fresh foods are, more often than not, healthier than the ready-toeat foods found in the middle aisles. The amount of sodium and fat added to fresh foods while cooking is up to the cook, not the manufacturer. Ask for help and bring a pen. Supermarket workers are knowledgeable and generally willing to help. Instead of wandering the aisles in search of a product, ask. Staff will often go out of their way to The Children’s Ark is an intensive evaluation and intervention center serving infants and young children at risk and their families. Our mission is to protect children and to promote their optimal development, health, welfare, and competency in relationship. Since we believe that the behavior and development of children cannot be understood outside the context of their relationships with primary caregivers, the world through their children’s eyes; and, perhaps most importantly, resolution of their own childhood issues and losses. It is the goal of The Children’s Ark to provide a secure base for parents so that they can do the same for their children. We start from the assumption that all parents have deep within themselves the desire and wisdom to parent. Our job is to help them locate a hard to fi nd item. The butcher can our mission is further to increase the access that wise place within themselves. slice cuts of meat and chicken exactly as recipes call for, saving prep time at home. It is knowledge, understanding, sensitivity, and security of their parents. Unfortunately, patterns of relating and defensive strategies developed inperfectly reasonable and a good use of time to alert the butcher or deli clerk, and shop while they are preparing the order. Bring a pen and cross items off of the list as you put them in the cart, or you will waste time checking and rechecking your list. Finally, accept the bagger’s offer to bring bundles to the car. Let the bagger push the cart, load the groceries into the car, and return the cart. The parent can keep the kids safe in We believe that children’s sense of self, expectation of others, and understanding of how the world works in response to them are developed out of their interactive experiences with their caregivers during the fi rst fi ve years of life. Autonomous or secure caregivers have an attuned understanding of their children’s cues and parents’ own childhood often interfere with their ability to parent effectively. We focus on helping parents understand how those relational patterns manifest in their relationships with their children. We believe it is only through tracking that process, with clarity and kindness; and being willing to experience the underlying vulnerabilities, that change is possible. the parking lot and buckle car seats and seat capabilities; knowledge of the sequence Janet Mann belts. Safer and a time saver – and baggers of development and the meaning of The Children’s Ark often like to get out of the store. behavior; empathy, or an ability to see 509-455-5035

• Case Management • Parent Education • Nurturing Attachment Process • Fatherhood Project

1853 W Broadway • Spokane, WA 99210 Phone (509) 458-7445 • Fax 462-7148 Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 12:00 & 1:00 - 5:00 MISSION STATEMENT: To strengthen family relationships in an effort to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect. The best thing we can do for children is to help parents become better parents.

The Fatherhood Project Announces, “The Nurturing Father’s Program” @Scan Prevention Center Starting Tuesday, June 24 • 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Cost: FREE! other than your weekly commitment The Nurturing Father’s Program is an 11 to 13 week groupbased program for developing attitudes and skills for male nurturance. The group of 8 to 16 fathers meet weekly for 2½ hours. Program activities address: • The Roots of Fathering • Nurturing Ourselves/Our Children • Fathering Sons/Fathering Daughters • Discipline Without Violence • Playing with Children • Managing Anger/Resolving Confl ict • Teamwork with Spouse/Partner • Balancing Work and Fathering • Communication and Problem Solving • Cultural Infl uences • Dealing with Feelings • The Father I Choose To Be

Contact Harry at SCAN Prevention Center to enroll 509-458-7445 or fatherhood2@scanprevention.org A Guide For Expectant Fathers Wednesday, June 25 6:30-9:30 p.m. Cost: FREE! Call Harry 458-7445 to register for next class. MEN AND BABIES...they need each other. In this guide you will fi nd a primer for the road ahead of you. You will gain a better understanding of the basic needs of your new baby and how you can contribute your father-effect from the very fi rst day of your child’s life. Hopefully you will also learn that the only defi nition of fatherhood that really matters is…yours. What you will not fi nd in this guide is information that assumes you are neither equipped nor interested in learning what’s happening with your child’s early development. You will not fi nd analogies relating to playbooks, coach’s manuals or any reference that would imply you are not fully capable of grasping the reality of your impending fatherhood. Our children are born and before we know it they are weeks old, and then months and one day you will be asked, “How old is your child?” As you start to respond “24 months” you realize that your days-old baby is now 2 years old. Be there, be involved, be a partner and you won’t miss a minute.