Becoming parents changes the lives of couples in dramatic ways.  When a couple has their first child, their roles and responsibilities, the demands on their time, and the emotional focus of their family life change. Research on the transition to parenthood has shown its problematic elements, the big changes that can erode marital happiness.  But that is only part of the story.  The transition to parenthood is a crisis in the full sense of the Chinese ideogram:  a time of opportunity as well as peril.  When we become parents, we embark upon a passage full of possibilities, a transition that challenges us to become our best selves.

As couples navigate through the transition to parenthood, feelings of love for each other are not enough, in themselves, to avoid the decrease in marital satisfaction that frequently occurs. The stress of adapting to a new baby who needs hands-on care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, can strain even the strongest bonds of love and affect parents' ability to provide the best care for their infant. Parents influence the development of their infant both directly, through their caregiving and interactions, and indirectly, through the emotional and physical environments they create. Two workshops offered by Parent Passages can help parents strengthen their relationship and create family and child care environments that will benefit their children.

The Bringing Baby Home program teaches couples how to build a strong emotional foundation in their family during the very early stages of a child's life. Over the 2 days of this workshop, couples learn to strengthen their relationship, co-parent effectively, and improve the quality of parent-infant interaction. This program is based on the research of John Gottman, PhD.

In the Child Care and Employment Decisions workshop, parents and expecting parents will learn decision-making skills that help them create child care and employment arrangements that best meet their family needs. Child care and employment decisions can be complex as couples adjust jobs, schedules, budgets, housing, and leisure time to new demands of parenthood. This workshop helps parents create a family environment that reduces stressors and maximizes opportunities for rewarding experiences, while supporting the healthy development of their children.

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