For parents who have it all together and the majority of parents who do not, the art of raising a child can be confusing, conflicting and sometimes controversial. While Positive Parenting does not claim to have all the answers, the program does hope to showcase different ideas and possible tactics mothers and fathers may not have thought about in the past.

Jilian Reece of the Carter County Drug Prevention Coalition said the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) aims to explore a different approach to parenting in a three-hour seminar this weekend.

“It is something anyone can benefit from,” Reece said. “We explore different options, and [the parents] decide what works for their families.”

The second time CCDP has partnered with Ashley Williams of the public library to put on this seminar, she said the program’s main focus is to approach the daunting task of parenting from a different angle.

“We focus on natural consequences,” she said. “Most of us parent the way we were parented. We do not think through what works for our kids.”

As a mother herself, Reece said no two children of hers are alike enough to justify parenting them the same way.

“This gives parents tools to create relationships,” she said.

The seminar is split into three main points of focus: the power of such an approach and what PPP actually looks like, how to raise competent and confident children and how to raise resilient children who can weather life’s troubles.

“Resilience is one of the greatest skills,” Reece said. “It gives children coping techniques.”

This is the second time CCDP has put on this seminar, which saw roughly 20 families attend the last time.

“We have always had positive feedback,” she said.

Though the program’s name and focus is positivity, Reece said the seminar does talk about how to discipline children.

“Disciple is part of that word,” she said. “We have to have discipline to teach. It is about choosing how to discipline.”

Reece said the program takes an approach geared towards natural consequences. If a child stays up late and is exhausted during the next school day, this is the kind of consequence parents can use to highlight why staying up so late is a bad idea.

“We get to explore what is working and what is not working,” she said.

She said the program is evidence-based, and both she and Williams are specifically trained to lead this program.

The seminar will take place Saturday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library. For more information, contact Reece at 423-342-8008 or the library at 423-547-6360. Lunch is available at the seminar.