The Hope for Hurting Parents Parent Notebook is a product of the Hope for Hurting Parents ministry (HopeforHurtingParents.com). It was developed to be used by the parents who attend one of their support groups. These groups help moms and dads with broken hearts due to the choices and behaviors of their teen to adult children. The purpose is to help these parents process their pain with others who understand, instead of isolating in guilt and shame. Hope for Hurting Parents strives to come alongside these brokenhearted to give comfort, encouragement and hope so that they can move from surviving to thriving. These groups can include step-parents and grandparents, too.The Parent Notebook explains what to expect in the support group, introduces the authors, provides group guidelines, and tells what others are saying about these faith-based groups. The notebook also contains the content that is discussed in the meetings. The topics are: grief and loss, enabling, guilt, fear, detachment, worry and anxiety, anger, resentment, letting go, expectations, guarding your marriage, guarding your family, powerlessness and control, communication, waiting, surviving the holidays, courageous love, forgiveness, thankfulness, self-care, expectations, and hope. A page for journaling or note-taking is at the end of each session.The intention is for parents to bring their notebook with them each time they go to a meeting. The Appendix has extra material used in some of the sessions. A list of recommended books, websites, and other resources is a huge bonus. The sessions are beneficial to be read and referred to not just during the support group meetings, but also at home.Hope for Hurting Parents support groups are not high content-driven. The focus is on being safe, confidential, loving communities where parents can be real, share their feelings with others who understand, and won’t think less of them or give pat answers. This is a place where they can find the comfort, encouragement, and hope they need for what may be a long, difficult journey.
