By Brian Freitag
TASPL Director

German genes run strong in my family. That means being punctual, efficient, and scheduling/planning the daylights out of everything. I now appreciate the education I received from my parents about setting goals, making a detailed plan, leaving time on the calendar to get it done, and always showing up to get the work done.

Mom and Dad’s power of habit has served me well over the years. My dad was a strong proponent for using common sense. One of his dad-isms was to look at whatever project he was going to start, take a step back and scratch his chin, and say, “now if I was smart…” and work out the best way to tackle it before jumping in. He taught me how to approach things methodically and think things through before starting a project.

As an educator I helped raise a lot of kids that weren’t my own and had great conversations with them and their parents over many years.

Parenting is a fulltime job. Maybe you’ve just welcomed a new family member into the world. The transition can feel overwhelming.

Because parenting is one of the most important and most difficult jobs in the world, the library makes every effort to provide resources to support our parents. Our parenting collection provides resources for expecting parents, parents with children of all ages, and even grandparents. Whether you’re looking for information about what to expect as your child grows or tips to successfully toilet train your child, these resources can help.

This collection pulls from several nonfiction areas to bring parenting information into a single, easy-to-find location. What can be found here for parents?

-Information on developmental stages of children
-Toilet training techniques
-How to discuss the facts of life with your child
-Help in handling discipline issues
-Ideas and ways to help your child with homework
-Activities to do with children
-Homeschooling ideas

We welcome our community parents to visit the library and use of our parenting resources to assist you in raising and teaching your children.

The joy of learning from parents is this: it never has to stop. Long after I left my parent’s house, I continued to learn from them in unmeasurable ways. Their love and care have had a tremendous impact on my life, and for this, I am incredibly grateful.

Take care and keep reading!