LDA of Iowa's Parenting Guide

A parent is a child’s first teacher and the teaching by the parent has a significant impact on the child’s development. Yes, parenting is a long-term journey that starts at birth and continues into adulthood and will influence whether the parent-child relationship is positive, negative or neutral.

We believe that all parents want to have a positive relationship with their child because they know that the quality of this relationship will have a major influence on whether the child will grow into a successful and caring adult. Plus, it may impact how our children raise our grandkids. This long-term parenting journey requires parents to continue to grow their parenting skills to fulfill the different needs their child will experience as they go from birth into independent adult.

This Guide contains information that parents need to continue to grow their parenting skills. This information starts at birth and continues up to age 19 and beyond. This guide is not a quick-read or a read only once document. In fact, it is more like a book. Once you, the reader, understands what is covered, we think you will see this as a “go-to document” that you can use over time. You can decide to read only so much at one time plus you have the option of selecting only those sections that relate to your specific needs. Plus, parts 2 and 3 will be updated frequently and additional parts may be added.