Parents Helping Parents: Mutual Parenting Network Handbook

Guidelines for mutual parenting are provided in this handbook. "Mutual parenting" means that everyone in the community shares the responsibility for the safety and well-being of the community's youngsters. Several topics are discussed in the 15 brief chapters of the handbook. Chapters 1 through 3 focus on the formation of a mutual parenting network. Chapters 4 through 7 discuss the need for common guidelines among parents and suggest ways of making discipline in the home more businesslike, additionally offering 10 guidelines for establishing a set of family rules. Chapter 6 provides three home management worksheets related to topics presented in the previous chapter. Chapter 8 very briefly discusses special issues of dual-career or single-parent families. Chapters 9 through 10 focus on the definition and selection of consequences for children's responsible and irresponsible behavior; management worksheets related to these topics are offered. Ways parents can be do-it-yourself psychologists in their own homes are described in Chapter 11. Chapters 12 through 14 suggest a way to reduce disagreement about mutual expectations among family members, list four steps to good employee/management relationships, and touch on the importance of volunteer work and community service for young persons. A sequence of parent activities for implementing the ideas suggested is provided in the concluding chapter. Appended are proposed guidelines for parental decision making regarding communitywide conduct standards for youth. (RH)