Last Friday, New Westminster Family Place had the chance to close our programming for a special learning day with Dr. Joan Durrant, creator of the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting program. Joan and her team traveled from Winnipeg to share their knowledge on building healthy, compassionate relationships with children. Our team, along with the Positive Discipline team and Richmond Family Place, met to discuss the program and explore how we can teach the importance of warmth and structure in parenting.
Powerful take-aways and stories
Here are a few key points from our discussion with Joan, her team, and other Positive Discipline facilitators at Richmond Family Place:
✨ We all want the same thing for our children—to raise kind, confident, and resilient kids.
✨ Punitive discipline is often passed down through generations. But we can unlearn it and adopt more positive, empowering strategies.
✨ Positive Discipline is not just for parenting; it helps build healthy boundaries in all relationships.
✨ We don’t need to “toughen up” our children. Instead, we teach them agency, structure, boundaries, and warmth—skills that help them thrive.
During the discussion, we heard powerful stories about how Positive Discipline works. One story stood out: A parent tried to get their child to put on mittens before leaving the house on a cold day. After several “NO” responses, the parent stopped and asked the child why they wouldn’t wear the mittens. The child explained that putting on mittens would make their apple “fuzzy.” By shifting their perspective and understanding the child’s reason, the parent helped the child hold the apple while keeping their hands warm. It was a simple and effective solution.
We’re grateful to Joan for sharing her wisdom and are excited to use her insights in our work at New Westminster Family Place. We also thank Richmond Family Place for hosting us in their beautiful space.
To learn more about the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting program, visit here.