The Families Connected Parent Chat: Insight from Our Moderator and Testimonials
/The Families Connected Parent Chat launched in September 2017 as a free weekly support group open to all South Bay parents and caregivers. The Chat is currently being offered virtually and is Provided in partnership with South Bay Families Connected, Beach Cities Health District and Thelma McMillen Center.
The Chat offers its participants a confidential and supportive space to share their parenting challenges and successes. Dr. Moe Gelbart, Executive Director of the Thelma McMillen Recovery Center, is the lead moderator for the group and offers his professional insight and expertise when needed. He begins each meeting with professional advice on that week’s parenting topic. Please check out this 10-minute video on the topic of raising resilient kids, which he shared with the group on February 1, 2022. Following his brief presentations, parents and caregivers share their experiences and challenges as well.
The parents, grandparents, and caregivers who attend the group share the same goal — to help their children thrive. We are grateful for the positive feedback so many have shared, in particular that the support and insight they have received from the Parent Chat has enabled them to improve their communication strategies with their kids (especially their teens), identify problems early, establish boundaries, and to understand and support the child they have with compassion.
Parent Testimonials
“I’m a father in Redondo Beach and have been participating in the Parent Chat for more than 4 years now. I have two teens and both have been more than a handful for me. When life with kids gets difficult the Parent Chat has been a life line for me. I know that once a week I have a place to go (virtually these days) where not only like-minded parents from my community can gather and discuss topics relating to parenting and our children, but where the good doctor can give advise from a clinical perspective. Parenting is not a follow instructions kind of a job! It is a try this and that to see if it works. All of us parents bring our perspective to the meetings as a way to bounce ideas off of the group and get feedback about what works and what has not with others in a similar situation. With the Doctor involved it brings a higher level of confidence and trust, knowing he is clinically trained and can answer medical questions in addition to questions of a more therapeutic nature.”
- Glen D. (member 2018)
“I’m not sure I would have made it through the last year and a half without the Monday morning parent chat. The support of the group showing up each week to listen to each other and share their experiences gave me courage to keep showing up for my teenage daughter through an acutely difficult time. The subtle, mindful leadership of Laura McIntire and Dr. Moe Gelbart ensures the group operates in a solution-focused and action-oriented manner. The core group of parents that come weekly provide support and empathy unconditionally. I came in wanting to learn more about navigating middle school mean girls and social media, and ended up moving through a transformative experience with a group of people I will be forever grateful to know!”
- N.T. (member since 2016)
“While gaining insightful perspectives and practices, Parent Chat is also a weekly dose of encouragement.”
- Lynne G. (member since 2017)
“In a blink of an eye, my husband and I found ourselves raising a teenager. Always active in the lives of our three sons, ages 15, 12, and 9, nothing quite prepared us for the terrain of our eldest son's adolescent landscape. Along with the anticipated emotional and physical changes that accompany this stage, a tricky set of issues ranging from depression, drugs, alcohol, social media, sexual harassment, and academic pressures also came flooding in. In an era with so many technological advances making resources readily available, my husband and I still found ourselves overwhelmed by the day to day rollercoaster consuming our household. Desperate for guidance, I came upon SouthBayFamiliesConnected.org that led me to the Monday morning Parent Chat Support Group.
It is my experience that this forum provides the invaluable opportunity for our community to share in the challenges of parenthood/grandparenthood. In this safe and moderated space we can share our stories, our fears, our pain, our worries, our questions and our concerns. The most significant revelation for me, is noting how parents, including myself, can experience our own vulnerability while parenting our children. These parenting experiences can trigger personal fears, insecurities and or unresolved childhood issues.
I am slowly coming to understand that the powerful effect of the parent support group is not in the "quick fix" or “solution”, but rather in the process of how we support and offer empathy to each other. I leave each group session with my feelings validated. This validation is empowering and thus allows me to empower my children to empower themselves. There is faith that together, as a parent community, we can arm our children with the tools to navigate the world for themselves.
I am forever grateful to the founders and to the vision that is South Bay Families Connected, for the generosity of Beach Cities Health District in supporting this group, and for the insight that Dr. Moe Gelbart shares on a weekly basis. I am inspired to be part of a community that is open to grow and to evolve. I feel hopeful that the Families Connected online resource galleries, blogs, videos, Speaker Series, the Parent Chat, and the open conversations will create a shift that moves us toward a deeper connection to ourselves and to each other.”
- Kelly H. (member since 2017)
“I went to my first Parent Chat slightly apprehensive, not knowing what to expect or what I'd feel comfortable sharing. I left that one session feeling completely connected to the others and very much looking forward to the next meeting. It's a safe, comfortable place for parents in our community to come together and discuss anything and everything. I find myself jotting down a thought that I know would be great to hash out with this group of parents. It's a great compliment to my own friends and family members, and a way to connect with others who are in the trenches right along with us.”
- Carrie G. (member since 2017)
“The Monday Morning Parent Chat is an invaluable resource for parents of adolescents. Every Monday, we have one hour to share concerns and hear from other parents about the challenges that parents and teenagers face. Topics range from setting limits and how to communicate with our kids to cell phone use and issues involving alcohol, vaping and drugs. As parents, I think we all want to feel like we’re doing the best we can raising our kids. Yet the teen years can be tumultuous and there are few places to really talk about the challenges without feeling judged. South Bay Families Connected and Beach Cities Health District provide a safe place to share concerns and learn from one another. It’s great to learn from people who have older kids and to feel that sharing our own challenges can help families with younger kids. The group is facilitated by a down to earth, compassionate therapist who guides the conversation and doesn’t give simplistic solutions. He holds space for all the emotions and experiences in the room. I am very grateful to Laura McIntire for creating this group for parents of adolescents.”
- Carol A. (member since 2017)
“For me personally, I find great comfort in being able to talk and listen to other parents who have similar issues with our teenagers in today's world.
We live in a wonderful community and to have this opportunity to come together and talk in confidence about things that come across our everyday lives is an amazing tool. There are no right answers but through knowledge and understanding I have found my voice to help me better communicate with my own family.
This support group gives me a chance to be humble and vulnerable and be open to the views of other parents and know that we can talk in confidence and not be judged. Everyone has a story, and everyone has a voice.
Thank-you for your time.”
- Helen V. (member since 2017)
“Wow, the weekly follow-up emails that Laura sends to the group to connect us with resource pages on the SBFC website that are related to the topics we discuss, like technology use, social media, etc., are very helpful and interesting. Thanks very much!”
- Caring Grandfather (member since 2018)
“I have regularly attended the Parent Chat sessions for about two years. I really appreciate having an opportunity to engage with others about issues concerning our children, young adults as well. The meetings are welcoming, friendly, sensitive, and managed professionally by a doctor and facilitator. The subjects vary widely such as vaping, depression, anger, running away, drug use, self harming, mental health and more. We are open about our situations which lead to feedback from others who provide comfort, interventions, and resolutions.”
- Anonymous
