Beautiful Parenting is a parenting course with a difference, centred on children’s rights. During our eight weeks together online, we will dive into why we parent the way we do, how we can strengthen our relationship with our children and support them to truly thrive, and how making positive changes at home can have a wider impact on the world around us.
Parenting can be a truly radical act. The way in which we raise our children can have a profound positive impact on our families, our communities, and our world. At its heart, peaceful parenting is a social justice issue: as adults, we have more power than our children. How we choose to use our power matters. If we want a just society, we must move from traditional models of parental control and coercion towards new models of connection, collaboration and freedom.
It’s not just about social change though; peaceful parenting is better for our children, seeking to truly honour and protect their rights. Research has shown us time and again that children who are free from shame and punishments have greater motivation, embrace more challenges, and enjoy the lasting positive effects of a growth mindset. That the less we try and control our children’s behaviour, the more we enjoy the pleasure of their company. That when we prioritise connection and collaboration, the whole family flourishes.
But the truth is, no matter how many books you read or courses you take, I don’t believe that you can just “become” a peaceful parent. It is an active journey, something that needs to be worked on day after day, month after month, as our parenting adapts and grows alongside our children. It’s about fundamentally changing our mindset as parents and adults, challenging the way we were raised and the traditional models of parentings which surround us and working on ourselves to be able to show up in the way our children deserve, as we model being authentic and empathetic humans.
This is important work but it can be hard at times, and it is even harder without support. We are not meant to do it alone.
Let me – and the rest of the Beautiful Parenting community – hold your hand as we walk this journey together.
Maybe you’ve been practicing peaceful parenting for a while, or maybe it’s a new concept to you and you’d like support in figuring out how to make the change. Wherever you are in your journey, you are so very welcome.
What does the course cover?
Each module includes:
- A video workshop on a core aspect of peaceful parenting
- Some extra mini podcasts to take your understanding and practice deeper
- A PDF workbook filled with information, practical ideas, questions for you to work through alone or with a partner, and journalling and reflection prompts
- A curated ‘reading’ list of blogs, books, research, and articles
- Weekly live Q&A videos
- A whole lot of support and guidance from me and other like-minded parents to work through any bumps that come up in your journey
This is not a space where you will be judged for the decisions you have made, or your experiences of parenting. Rather, this is a course where I hope you will feel inspired, gently challenged, and inspired to make positive changes – regardless of where you’re coming from – to deepen your connection with your children and build a foundation of respectful, gentle, evidence-based parenting.
Module One: How we think about children
We will begin the course by considering how we think about children, how we think about adults, and the impact this has on adult-child relations. Think of this as setting the foundations for the rest of the course, as we consider:
- What makes a child?
- Exploring different childhoods
- What makes an adult? Considering our role as parents
- Being and becoming (children now and children as future adults)
Module Two: Adultism
This module takes you deep into thinking about power: who holds it, what can they do with it, and why does it matter when it comes to parenting. We will be exploring this specifically within the context of adultism (the structural discrimination children face based on their age). We’ll be taking a dive into:
- Thinking about power
- What is adultism? Some practical examples
- The impact of adultism
- A way forward: Children’s liberation
Module Three : Why peaceful parenting?
Having carefully considered how childhood is constructed and the impact of adultism on all of us, this module will encourage you to explore how our parenting can make a profound difference – to our children, ourselves, and the world we live in. In this module we will cover:
- Community practice: Imagining a different world
- Children’s Rights
- Consent, control, and modern parenting
- Parenting for children’s rights and social justice: The case for relationship-based parenting
- Parenting as a radical act
Module Four: Parenting without punishment, praise and rewards
In module four we move away from theory and towards practice. The course supports you to integrate these ideas into your daily life, starting in this module with the idea that parents do not need to use punishments or other methods of behavioural modification. We will cover:
- Parenting the child in front of us
- What do we mean by discipline? Discipline and development
- What is the problem with punishments and praise? Practical parenting without punishment and rewards
- Needs-based parenting: setting loving, respectful limits for the whole family
- Nurturing growing minds
Module Five: Calm communication
Module five continues moves us onto thinking about our communication: how we are communicating with our children (and those around us), and how we can improve our communication skills to ensure the needs of the whole family are met. In this module we will cover:
- The foundation of good communication
- Nonviolent Communication
- Communication in action: Communicating with children
- Communication in action: Communicating with your partner
- Communication in action: Communicating parenting preferences with friends and family
Module Six: Playful parenting
Parenting doesn’t have to mean taking ourselves seriously! Raising children can feel joyful and liberating, and playfulness can be one of the best ways to connect with our children – as well as support them through tasks and transitions they find challenging. In this module we will cover:
- The joyful home
- What do we mean by playful parenting?
- Playfulness for building connection
- Playfulness as parenting tool
- Playful parenting for parents who don’t like to play
Module Seven: The inner work of parenting
By this point in the course, we will have seen that peaceful, respectful, and rights-based parenting has little to do with our children’s behaviour, and everything to do with our own responses and reactions as adults. In this module we will cover:
- What do we mean by inner work, and why is it important?
- Identifying our parenting triggers
- “Reparenting” ourselves
- Practical inner work techniques
Module Eight: Deep self-care for peaceful homes
As parents and caregivers, our needs matter too. With parents all over the world feeling burnt out and exhausted after two years of pandemic (and modern life), caring for ourselves and letting ourselves be cared for by others has never felt so important. In this final module we will cover:
- Developing self-compassion
- Creating rhythms which honour your needs
- Simplifying family life
- Building a culture of rest in the home
Bonus: Making sense of screens
As part of the course, you will have FREE access to a refreshed and updated version of my Making Sense of Screens course, a four-part course designed to help you craft your own vision of how technology is used and approached in your home. This previously sold for £59.
Is this course for me?
Yes, if you want to feel more connected to your children, and calmer, less stressed and more patient in your parenting. You want to find more ease and joy in daily life with your family, and want your home to be a place where you feel relaxed and playful.
You want to support children’s rights – even when it feels uncomfortable or challenging – and you believe that creating a more just and peaceful home is the first step towards a more just and peaceful world.
You want to be able to confidently communicate your parenting choices to friends and family, knowing your choices are supported by research and evidence.
You want to grow as a person and as a parent, leaning on the support from a community who will stand behind you and cheer you on.
You believe that your needs matter, too,
Please note: you may join the course from anywhere in the world. Course participants are always international, which adds a wonderful dimension to our online community.
How is the course run?
The next course will run from 7th March 2022 for eight weeks.
Each week you will receive emails linking to each module, which will be filled with PDFs, audios, videos, and reading suggestions. Weekly Zoom Q&A sessions will support you to deepen your knowledge and practice (these will take place on Thursday evenings at 8pm UK time, though recordings will be made available and you can submit questions in advance). A course community Facebook group is available to join too.
You will have lifetime access to the materials.
Please note that this course will only run once in 2022, so if you would like to take part I recommend doing so now.
Choose Love
We believe that peace begins in the home, and that parenting can be a radical act of hope and resistance. But we also believe that rights-based parenting – whilst so important – is not the only thing we can do to tackle injustice which is happening here and now.
That’s why we will be donating 10% of all course bookings – regardless of whether these are full-price, early-bird, or pay-what-you-can bookings – to Choose Love’s Ukraine appeal.
We stand with refugees and victims of war, whoever they are and wherever they may be.
How do I book?
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL BE DONATING 10% OF ALL COURSE PURCHASES TO CHOOSE LOVE’S UKRAINE APPEAL.
The cost of the eight-week course is £159.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR SPOT
Pay-what-you-can spaces are available for those who cannot afford the course at full price; please contact hello@fridabemighty.com and we will send you simple instructions. No questions asked, no need to tell us any personal information – we trust that if you ask for a PWYC spot it’s because you need it.
I regret that refunds are not offered on online courses, though places are transferrable. By booking your place, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
I look forward to working with you soon.
About Eloise
Eloise Rickman is an author, parent educator and founder of A Beautiful Childhood. She works with clients around the world through online courses and coaching. Her work focuses on children’s liberation, children’s rights, and how adults see, raise, and educate children. Extraordinary Parenting (Scribe, 2020) is her first book, and her second book (still untitled) will be published in early 2024.
Eloise is a trained doula, and previously read social anthropology at Cambridge University where she first became interested in how childhood and family practices shape society. She is currently working towards an MA in Children’s Rights.
Eloise believes that parenting can be a radical act, and that changing the way we raise and educate children has the potential to shape and change society for the better. Her work has been featured on the BBC, and she is a regular guest on podcasts. She lives in South London with her husband and young daughter, who has been home educated from birth.