Join us in Lifting Parents this April!

Parenting has always been hard. But the past year has felt like one long test for parents. It’s tested our capacity, our resilience, and our patience.

This year has also shown how important others in our community are in helping parents raise healthy, happy children. With schools, daycares, and countless other places closed or operating “virtually,” the role of parenting has expanded far beyond just being a caregiver and a provider. Parents have become teachers, playmates, counselors, aftercare providers, and more.

And while trying to do it “all,” parents have also lost important social and emotional connections. Isolation from family and friends has made the now extra hard job of parenting a lonely one too.   

As a member of the Prevent Child Abuse America network, we join others across the country every April to promote Child Abuse Prevention month. To the average person, “preventing child abuse” may feel like something too big or too complicated for them to help do. However, all the research tells us that the best way to prevent child abuse is actually to do something quite simple: Support parents. Which clearly, they need now, more than ever. 

In recognizing the unprecedented challenges parents are now facing, Nurture the Next is launching a Child Abuse Prevention Month campaign with a simple message: Lift a Parent, Raise a Child. We are calling on all community members to join us in #RaisingTogether this April.

Our Raising Together web page offers a number of ways you can support parents in your local community, but my favorite option is an act of kindness. It’s like the saying: Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person. You can make all the difference in a parent’s day by lifting their load—run an errand for them, make a meal, or ask what they need help with the most. The gift of time is the most precious gift anyone can give a parent who is at capacity and running low on patience.

I would actually argue that everyone pitching in to help parents would change the world—because it helps children. Parental stress is a major risk factor for child abuse and neglect. So the more people who know about this effort, the bigger our collective impact will be. You can help us spread the word about this campaign by putting up a yard sign or sharing our social media content. Our online toolkit offers other ways you can amplify our message.

Parenting has never been harder, but that also means making the difference for a parent has never been easier. Join us in lifting parents this April.