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Mindful Parenting Groups
Dalit and Deborah, and the entire office staff are incredibly warm and supportive. In many ways, it feels like an extended family. Through Mindful Parenting, I have learned so much about how my upbringing shapes the way I perceive and respond to my daughter. This in turn, allows me to see her with a fresh set of eyes and to understand her experiences in a way in which I might have otherwise missed. We both look forward to the group every week. For my daughter, it’s the friends and opportunity to play that she looks forward to. For me, it’s the opportunity to observe, reflect, and relish in my daughter’s joy and growth.
-Catherine and baby Molly
"Well Baby Center is a wonderful resource for new parents on the Westside. It provides a welcoming and reassuring environment with genuinely caring and knowledgeable staff. I am lucky to have Well Baby Center there for me and my children now, and in the years to come. The group was wonderful! Awesome! This center does very important work.
-Ellen and baby Ava
In Mindful Parenting, Chloe learned how to take risks and manage her feelings. She was truly empowered at such a young age.
-Stephanie and baby Chloe
In Mindful Parenting, both my husband and I learned to be proactive in our discipline. We also gained the skill to narrate Sophia’s feelings and help her work through her emotions verbally. As new parents, it’s so easy to rely on the parenting skills you were raised with. We unlearned’ some parenting habits that we did not want to continue in the first place.
-Ellen, Peter, and baby Sophia
In Mindful Parenting, the therapists balance each other out well. When we were absent from a class, Dalit would call to check in. They were also very encouraging and created an environment where I always felt it was safe to bring up my questions and concerns.
-Sally and baby Jake
My experience has enabled me to approach discipline from a place of calm and removed unnecessary stress. It has also helped me to shape my child into an individual and not just view her from the lens of ‘she’s just a child’.
-Tom and baby Julia
The Mindful Parenting Group taught me valuable parenting lessons, particularly the practice of reflection. I not only learned so much from the therapists but also gained great insights from watching how the other parents interacted with their children.
-Vida and baby Alexandria
The environment has not only nurtured my relationship with my daughter but also my parenting partnership with my husband. I was surprised by how much my husband enjoyed it as well. I didn’t expect him to be that into it but he would make it whenever possible and join for as much as the
class as he could. I think he was the father that came the most often. We’re both working parents and this made me incredibly proud.
-Cynthia, Sean, and baby Iona
I would absolutely continue attending the groups even though the time of the class was difficult. I was attending Friday evenings around 4:30. When it’s the end of the week, it’s difficult to find the energy to get over there. It was so worth it. I also felt that there was less I could relate to with other parents. I had a hard time identifying with the families who could afford affluent daycare or had spent a year as a
stay at home parent. When we enrolled in the course, I was working part-time and gained full time employment toward the end of our participation in Mindful Parenting. It was difficult to balance all.
-Vivienne, Paul, and baby Daniel
I have been telling people that both my husband and I felt that the group was a safe, supportive and nurturing forum to understand what our family needed. The pressure to be the good enough parent can be so intense at times and having the opportunity to just slow down and enjoy is priceless.
-Abby, Juan, and baby Amalia
My child liked the circle time, snack time, and singing…He learned to deal with conflicting feelings, conflicts with other children, ability to express difficult feelings. Making meaningful connections with other members and in particularly with the group facilitators.
-Monique and baby Rani
I really felt “held” metaphorically in the group. When I feel held therefore, my anxiety as a parent does not dictate my interactions with my child… I can really be there for me and her…and enjoy her… What a gift!
-Nikkie and baby Mara
The group leaders were competent, knowledgeable, non-judgmental and nurturing. The experience helped me to be more relaxed (hard to believe) and present.
-Rhonda and baby Lilie
Mindful Parenting enhanced my ability to sense, read and understand my child’s experiences while in real time, in a real way in front of me as opposed to reading ABOUT it from elsewhere. I have learned to trust myself as a parent.
-Rachel, Mike, and baby Mack
I tell my friends that the classes provide a unique opportunity to see your children develop without being distracted by the outside world. Our daughter’s growth, physically, mentally, emotionally and socially, has been greatly enriched by her interactions with the staff, other parents and children, and the Well Baby Center. I would describe my experience as: Enriching. Beautiful. Supportive. Relaxing.
-Lana and baby Tori
Our son liked seeing his friends each week. Some of them were toys, others were kids, and a few were adults. He liked being able to explore the lobby area, offices, rooms, and back area, finding new and old things each time.
-Kimberly and baby Derek
There have been so many changes to reflect on -- when my daughter started she could not even roll over, now she can walk, run, talk, and jump! I think she gained some social skills, especially interacting in a free (i.e. no set structure) environment with other kids and learning to work out concepts of space, security, sharing, and different types of play.
-Tanja and baby Stella
I gained insight into a different style of parenting, one that is vigilant, but not as on edge. I gained the ability to patiently watch, narrate, and allow things to play out, instead of the stressed out need to step in each and every single time something comes up.
-Joan and baby Melanie
Deborah and Dalit have been fantastic! Literally we have worked with them since the beginning. Our daughter was a tiny, 5 month-old who could not roll over nor sit up. One of the places she learned to do these things is at the Well Baby Center, and Deborah and Dalit taught us how to support our
daughter as she grew, and how to deal with that growth! I think it has made me more patient, and more thoughtful. I was surprised at how relaxing the class is, and how much you really see when you allow
yourself to relax and just watch the kids. I would do it again in a heartbeat!
-Sally, Bret, and baby Kyle
It is exciting to watch my daughter develop into a thoughtful, independent person. The Mindful Parenting Group has really contributed to our daughter’s mental well being and emotional development. Our daughter loves being able to explore at her own pace, and the Mindful Parenting
Group is a relaxed, friendly environment. It is amazing how much work/learning is accomplished by both the parent and child. It is amazing to see what she can do and have the time and observational
skills to see it.
-Brittany and baby Lucinda
One reason I chose the Well Baby Center over other Mindful Parenting Groups was because they welcomed both parents. We look forward to Mindful Parenting Group as fun family time and have become a stronger family for it.
-Karen, John, and baby Louis
Deborah and Dalit and the parents in our group have become an important part of our daughter’s life. Their extensive expertise is wonderful. They help make the stress of parenting easier and bring out the joys. They have a deep appreciation for the variety of what different children need to
bring out their best.
-Sam, Linda, and baby Mia
Attending both classes are a valuable use of our time as a family. The expertise and warmth of the therapists and Heidi (the music teacher) make the experience even more welcoming. We felt excited about the opportunity to make new friends and interact in a different environment.
-Angela, Ben, and baby Luisa