„My team and I want to teach parents/guardians how to set clear boundaries in raising their children, as well as to provide them with all the love they need.“
In today’s dynamic world, being a parent is a big challenge. You can read thousands of parenting books on how to properly raise your child, but what the child actually needs are „roots to grow and wings to fly.“ You should accept that you won’t always be a perfect parent to your child, but that with all the unconditional love you give, you’ll be the right parent. Smiljana Grujic is here to help you on that path of enlightenment!
Smiljana is one of those people who you immediately trust so much you want to tell her all your problems. She is always cheerful and smiling, with a big heart, gentle and empathic. She’s a great storyteller, advisor, and comrade. Smiljana is a psychologist and a psychotherapist and provides advice for our readers in the area of early child development. If you want to re-read Smiljana’s tips, you can do it here.
There isn’t a period during which we grow, learn and change more than in the earliest childhood. The child’s strongest connection in that period is the one they have with their parents. That’s why it’s important to empower parents, so they could provide the best possible support for their children.
„Unfortunately, there’s no parenthood school. Even though parents act toward children with good intentions, their ways of upbringing often don’t align with those intentions. Parents should be aware that their everyday behavior with a child must be guided by their long-term goal – the child’s best development.„
Smiljana Grujic, coordinator of the Support, not Perfection program
As a great expert in her area, Smiljana helps parents overcome the challenges of parenthood. Together with her colleague Nina Sokolovic, she designed a programme called Support, not Perfection. This programme provides parents with additional information, skills, and support for encouraging their children’s development at their most sensitive age.
„Parents can learn more easily by exchanging experiences with people who have similar problems and by interacting with an expert. At workshops, we talk with our participants about the results they have achieved, and together we come to conclusions on how they could further improve their skills of raising a child.“
Parents get advice such as how to respond to a child’s temper outburst or what activities stimulate a child’s development. The Support, not Perfection programme has been organized for two and a half years and it’s completely free of charge. In March we have started our 5th cycle. So far, 800 parents and guardians of children 6 years old and younger from 12 municipalities across Serbia have completed the programme.
„We want to encourage parents to think about the way they criticize, teach, talk and listen to them. They should remember that there are alternatives in the everyday building of a relationship with children.“
If you want to learn how to properly support your child’s development while giving him all your love, Novak Djokovic Foundation and Smiljana invite you to join the Support, Not Perfection programme!
