Being a parent can be one of life’s greatest joys and one of its biggest challenges.
There is no manual. We learn as we go. We make mistakes, we worry, we question ourselves and sometimes we wonder if we are getting any of it right.
Then there is all the advice. What parents should do. What they shouldn’t do. What our children need from us. Add work, school, schedules, phones and everyday life and it is easy to get caught up in simply getting through the day. Sometimes, in trying so hard to get parenting “right,” it can be easy to lose sight of something much simpler: the relationship between parent and child.
Maybe our children don’t need us to get everything right. Maybe they just need more of us.
At 6:30 p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 24, Creating Connections will bring that conversation to the Key Biscayne Community Center with “Present Parenting: Be Present. Stay Connected,” the next event in its Community Talk Series.
The evening will feature Anne Louise Carricarte and her daughter, Sophia Kardonski, co-creators of Present Parenting, bringing two generations and two perspectives to this topic.
Rather than focusing on a list of rules or another formula for how to parent, the conversation will invite parents to look at everyday family life differently. Are we really listening to our children? How do we respond when things get difficult? Are we so busy taking care of everything that we sometimes forget to enjoy them? And what kind of relationship are we building with them as they grow?
Present Parenting combines real-life experience with ideas from psychology and neuroscience, offering parents ways to navigate challenging moments with awareness and confidence. At its core is a simple idea: parents don’t have to get everything right. Parenting changes as children grow, and parents grow along with them.
The program also has a meaningful connection with The Megan Way Foundation, created in honor of Megan Welsh Andrews to carry forward her compassion and commitment to children and families. The foundation provides scholarships to help make Present Parenting accessible to families who may need financial assistance.
The event is organized by Creating Connections, a Key Biscayne community initiative founded by Malena Assing that focuses on bringing people together through meaningful conversations and shared experiences. Through its Cafecitos, Community Talk Series and other gatherings, Creating Connections creates opportunities for neighbors to meet, learn from one another and feel more connected to the community around them.
A conversation about parenting feels like a natural extension of that mission. Parenting can sometimes feel very personal, and even a little lonely, but so many other parents are going through the same things.
Perhaps parents don’t need to do more but simply need a reminder to just be present.