Healthy families

by Sarah Juliusson

The goal of a healthy family is one that serves as both a source of guidance and concern for many parents today. We dream of physical health, healthy relationships, children who are thriving, a happy and safe home environment and a strong foundation to carry us through the challenges. Now, parents and educators are coming to Vancouver from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond to explore this concept at the Healthy Families Conference on April 18 and 19.

The healthy families conference vibe

Hosted at UBC, the conference features inspirational speakers and dynamic workshops sharing skills and strategies to nurture strong relationships within our families and create strong ties for our children within our community. One of the inspirational keynote speakers is Peggy O’Mara, owner and editor of Mothering Magazine.

Peggy’s thoughts

In a recent interview with O’Mara, we had the opportunity to discuss the elements needed to nurture a healthy family. “It is important for families to create their own ethos . . . they are their own community. This is the first community, and everything else should flow from that,” she said. Our core values as a family offer us a larger purpose or vision to help guide us as we raise our children.

As new parents, it can be difficult to navigate the wealth of information and products available to us.

Parents are faced with the challenge of not only sifting through the information, but also discerning what feels right for themselves and their children. O’Mara spoke of the importance of trusting ourselves first and foremost: “We cannot allow our own personal ethic of parenting be created by the fashions of the day. They could change in five or 10 years. Our personal ethic of parenting has to be stronger, more thought out, more grounded than that.”

As we develop our own personal family ethos, we must learn to trust our instincts.

O’Mara shared: “As a young parent I felt the pressure to know the answer. But I didn’t always know.” First we must learn to trust ourselves and build that capacity for inner knowing. She continued: “You begin to trust yourself the more you do it. You create a vocabulary of trust within yourself.”

An opportunity to learn

The Healthy Families conference is an amazing opportunity to learn from respected leaders in the field on themes of nurturing both parents and children. The workshops and speakers are sure to be an inspiration and source of tremendous support to all who attend. Perhaps even more important, however, as O’Mara said, “We go to a conference for the speakers, but we really go to see each other, to know that we’re not alone.”

We look forward to seeing many of you at the conference and hope that you not only learn something new, but also feel that sense of connection and support with others as we nurture our families and build a healthy community. To read more about Mama Renew's conversation with Peggy O’Mara on themes of simplicity and slow family, click here.

Event details

The Healthy Families Conference is scheduled for Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, UBC Student Union Building in Vancouver. Tickets are $225 for two days, or $130 for one full day. Family rates available. To register, or to find out more information, visit www.healthyfamiliescanada.org.

Win tickets!

Babyvibe is proud to be a conference sponsor for this unique event for parents and educators. Thanks to the organizers, we are giving away two conference tickets (value $225 each). To enter, visit www.healthyfamiliescanada.org. E-mail prize@babyvibe.ca who you would be most interested in hearing speak at the conference and why. Contest ends Thursday, April 9, 2009, at midnight. Two winners will randomly be selected.

B.C. archives

sarah and son

peggy o'mara