The responsible targets of Triple P

Mom and dad are worried that they have not helped eight-year-old Ben learn about responsibility.

He does not have household chores that he is required to complete, but they know that this could help him learn self-discipline and how to apply himself to a task. It would also help with the running of their busy household. But where do they begin?

"Having your child help around the house with chores is a good opportunity to teach responsibility and it helps free up a little time for everyone," says Tina Hannan, a public health nurse with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit's family health service. "Parents must first decide if children should have set chores or just help now and again; they must also consider if their child has the ability to carry out the job."

Hannan, along with members of a number of community agencies, is trained in the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P), a program that suggests simple routines and small changes can make a big difference to families. And learning how to prepare children for chores is one of the parenting issues that Triple P can help families with.

Introducing chores can begin with toddlers and preschoolers, who can do small jobs around the house with a parent's help, says Hannan.

At school age, children are usually able to do some chores themselves, like clearing the dinner table or tidying their bedroom. As they mature they can take on more difficult tasks.

Hannan says parents should agree on what they expect before talking about chores with their children. Some strategies to help introduce chores include calling a family meeting, explaining why helping is important, deciding on a list of chores, asking your child what chores he or she would like to do, and talking about rewards and consequences.

Whether the issue is chores, tantrums, homework, mealtime problems or friends and peer relationships, Triple P helps parents improve child behaviour problems as well as develop positive attitudes, skills and behaviour that encourage children to realize their full potential.

Triple P offers support, practical suggestions and a plan of action for parents, in the way that they need it, whether that's by talking to a trained person over the phone, in individual or group sessions, or more intense therapy.

Because there is a broad involvement of a number of community agencies trained in Triple P, including the health unit and Kinark, most children's services agencies can help parents get the service they need.

Triple P is widely in use throughout Australia, where it was developed, and has been increasingly adopted throughout the world.

For more information on parenting solutions for your children, call Your Health Connection at 721-7520 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and ask about Triple P solutions or other parenting issues, or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth. org.