Life at Ark Start

How a parenting course helped one mum find her confidence

11 November 2022

One parent shares how our parenting course helped her build confidence, connect with other parents and take the next step towards leading courses herself.

“The course has changed me – I’m much calmer and more confident in my parenting. And in myself.” 

“The parenting course is something for me. It’s become a big part of my life. After finishing school, I became a full-time mum. Now I have three children under 6. Of course with three young children I had my struggles, but I didn’t talk to anyone about them and didn’t know they were normal.

Zoie from Ark Start gave me a leaflet for the parenting course. I’d had a long break not socializing with other people and being indoors. When I went to the nursery I didn’t talk to the other parents. It took a lot of guts to join the first few sessions and start to speak out. Now the session on a Friday is the highlight of my week. I have somewhere to go to, to socialize and share my experiences.  

My relationship with my children is so much stronger. We all know how to own our feelings and speak about them. I’m so proud of that. I see my daughter has much more confidence than I had as a child. She’ll experiment with her hair in ways I never had the courage to.  I’m not saying I’m the perfect parent now, but I know I’m a good one. A good enough parent for my kids. I see them smiling and they see me smiling.  

Now I’ve completed my training to lead my own parenting courses. I feel a big sense of achievement to be a leader in that way. It’s the first time I feel I’ve achieved since becoming a mum. I feel really proud, amazing. The course has changed me – I’m much calmer and more confident in my parenting. And in myself. I talk to other parents outside the nursery now and tell them about the course. 

The environment at Ark Start has actually changed how I feel about people. I’ve felt so welcome from the beginning. Zoie says it’s our home – we should all feel at home here. I’ve never felt connected to the staff in that way at other nurseries. It’s very different, very unique.”