SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio mother of five says a free parenting program through Metro Health changed the way she communicates with her children and helped her reject discipline methods tied to cycles of abuse.
Ylora Posada recently completed Triple P, the Positive Parenting Program, a growing Metro Health initiative designed to teach parents skills that can help prevent child abuse and improve family relationships.
In a recent story, program leaders told KSAT the program is growing rapidly.
Posada said she began looking for help after her children started having outbursts at school, and she felt stuck on how to help them.
“I thought I was the only parent repeating myself and repeating myself over and over and not getting anything back,” Posada said.
She found Triple P and was relieved to learn the nine-week course was free. Posada said one of the most surprising parts of the program was that it taught her the importance of taking care of herself, too.
“Like doing this walking, just for myself,” she said.
Through the classes, Posada said she learned how much her own stress and frustration affected her children’s behavior.
“They do what I do, so my yelling and all that frustration and anxiety, I learned that they feel it and they’re going to do what they’re taught,” Posada said. “So that helped me to learn to take a step back and calm down and talk to them at lower eye point and stuff, where they talk to me and start respecting and following in my footsteps.”
Posada said the lessons have helped her approach discipline differently. She also said the program helped her recognize how some long-standing family practices can continue cycles of abuse.
“Even just yesterday my cousin was saying, ‘Oh, I would hit her. I would hit her,’” Posada said. “And I said, ‘No, I’m not doing that.’”
She said relatives reminded her that physical punishment was common in previous generations.
“She was like, ‘Back in the day we used to get spanked with a belt,’” Posada said. “And I was like, ‘Well, this is a new generation. We’re doing new things now to teach our kids that it’s not OK to be doing that, to stop the cycle of abuse.’ It’s helped. It really has.”
Posada said she also gained a support system through the class, meeting other mothers who are working toward becoming better parents for their children.
Families interested in signing up for Triple P through Metro Health can call 210-207-4599 or sign up online.
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