Editorial: Parenting tips crucial read

Hawke's Bay Today is introducing a new Weekly Parenting Tip column. Photo File

As an expectant young father in the late 90s I bought books.

Lots of books.

Like any panicked couple on the cusp of parenthood we accumulated many titles, both ante and post-natal.

My favourite was Steve Biddulph's classic 1997 guide, Raising Boys. His ethos of a more affectionate and connected form of parenting is a must read.

However, what tends to happen once you have a few children (and in my case many more) and a few years' experience under your belt you start backing yourself - and stop buying books.

Maybe the futile idealism of raising kids via text-book dawns. But perhaps, more importantly, we're just too time-poor.

We have the inclination but just not the hours to research what literature to buy - let alone time to sit down and read it.

That's why years ago I was lucky enough to stumble across The Parenting Place's weekly Hot Tips. This organisation was founded in 1993 by Ian and Mary Grant and is now the country's largest parenting organisation - reaching more than 300,000 families every year.

Today we're launching said Weekly Parenting Hot Tips as a new regular column (see page 8) in our Hawke's Bay Today Weekend edition.

I'm a huge fan of these gems. The tips are quick-fire but robust, topical pieces of advice that deliver on real issues.

They take 30 seconds to read but resonate much longer.

As a local newspaper we have the dubious honour of witnessing, interviewing and writing about many of this region's social ills.

One doesn't have to dig too deep to see just almost every one of them stems from a debased, dysfunctional family unit.

Spend some time in the public gallery of your local courthouse and you'll see it's the agent of almost every crime.

However, we also believe a strong homebase can be the agent of change.

Hawke's Bay Today's proud to partner up with the Parenting Place for this new weekly feature because we realise many readers are parents, caregivers and grandparents.

We also believe that healthy families have a transformative ability in the region we live in.