My child was the first to notice that I had changed

Mellow Parenting – A support group and a renewal of the mother–child relationship

The piloting of the educational parenting programme “Mellow Parenting” in the Republic of Moldova began in 2016 in five regions of the country: Cahul, Călărași, Fălești, Nisporeni, and Ungheni. With the support of the European Union, the NGO “Partnerships for Every Child” (PPFC), together with the Mellow Parenting organization from Scotland, trained 10 practitioners who were accredited to deliver the programme.

To date, approximately 100 mothers and 100 children from the five districts have benefited from the programme. An evaluation conducted by the Mellow Parenting organization demonstrated that participating mothers became more self-confident, more patient, more open and communicative, and less prone to depression. They improved their mother–child relationships and came to understand that a child needs not only food and sleep, but also affection and greater attention. They learned how to manage their emotions, prioritize their activities, and dedicate more quality time to their children.

“My child was the first to notice that I had changed”

Maria (name changed) is 25 years old and has a 4-year-old daughter. She gave birth at the age of 20 and is raising her child on her own. Maria comes from a large family with five children, where, as she says, they did not live very well.

When her mother passed away, Maria was only 8 years old, and her father decided to place her in a boarding school. Since then, the relationship between father and daughter cooled, as did her relationships with her siblings. After finishing boarding school, she attended a vocational school, got married, and gave birth to a daughter who, unfortunately, is now growing up without her father.

Her decision to participate in the Mellow Parenting programme was carefully considered.

“It was difficult for me to speak about my life in a group. I was more withdrawn and believed that no one would want to listen to me. Why would they, considering that in our family we did not really listen to each other or communicate much?”

Maria greatly appreciated the programme, which she says was both appropriate and necessary for all the mothers in her group.

The programme gave them the opportunity to meet, understand, and support one another. She also knows many other mothers who would greatly benefit from the programme, and she is determined to tell them about it and encourage them to participate — thus fulfilling her role as an “ambassador” of the Mellow Parenting programme.

Maria says she is now different.

“I have improved my relationship with my child. We go to kindergarten, we play together, and we make different toys, just as we learned in the programme. But what makes me happiest is that I have started communicating with my family and my siblings again, and I truly wish for us to become more united.”

Maria acknowledges that before joining the programme, she devoted less time and attention to her daughter.

“One day my little girl told me that I am different, that I have changed. Now I am proud of myself and of my child, and I know that I must keep moving forward for her.”

About the programme

The Mellow Parenting programme aims to support parents in developing parenting skills at different stages of a child’s development. It is based on the principles of attachment theory, social learning, and cognitive behavioural theory.

The parenting skills development format includes 14 group sessions for parents of children aged 0 to 5 years. During these sessions, parents learn about child development, how to build secure attachment with their child, and how to contribute to the child’s harmonious development and to strengthening their relationship. Activities involve parallel participation of both parents and children.

The Mellow Parenting educational programme is one of four programmes implemented under the project “Increasing Access of Children with Special Needs to Community-Based Support and Early Education Services”, carried out by PPFC in collaboration with the Mellow Parenting and HealthProm organizations from the United Kingdom. The project is supported by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, and the local public authorities in the five beneficiary districts.

The project, with a total value of €680,000, is funded by the European Union.

Additionally, the programme is being developed in three other regions — Orhei, Sîngerei, and Soroca — within the framework of the Mellow Parenting development project funded by the World Childhood Foundation.