Parent Educator Myrna Lapres has been doing Parenting Webinars with the BFM for the past few years.
Starting in September, Myrna will hold Parenting Coach Group Calls for parents with younger children (available soon).
Myrna is a trained Parent Educator through Love & Logic and a certified Family Coach through Hilde Weimann, Generational Healing.
The following is an interview with Myrna about her Parent Coaching.
What inspired you to become a Parent Coach?
I have been a teacher, a school administrator and an educator for over 25 years. Working with children and youth in a variety of settings–school classrooms, Sunday School, summer workshops and scout campouts–I came to realize that to make the biggest impact, I want to work in partnership with parents. This desire led me to become a parent educator and coach. After doing it informally for years, I decided to focus full-time on this. My desire is to empower parents in strengthening their relationships with their children and support them in gaining parenting tools and skills.
A few years ago, I discovered the Real Love book series by Greg Baer and studied them extensively, especially “Real Love in Parenting.” My husband, Michael and I attended a Real Love retreat at Greg and Donna Baer’s home and I began to include Real Love into my webinars and parent education. It is my belief that Real Love books and ideas flesh out “True Love” that Father and Mother Moon spoke about so often in the practical, everyday application that we all need in our families and communities. Real Love is a tool to help us achieve harmony, peace, joy, and happiness in our families, communities and the world. My deepest hope and desire is to support all families in achieving real love/true love in all their relationships. I believe that healthy, thriving families are the best example and witness to the Marriage Blessing and True Love.
What experience do you have with parenting education? 
Many years ago, Michael and I participated in an 18-week parenting intensive, “Growing Kids God’s Way.’ It was very helpful for us as we raised our three sons and worked together with other parents in our church community. After completing the course ourselves, we facilitated it for other parents. Each time, we were reminded how important it is for us as parents to be intentional in how we guide our children. In addition, I have explored many parenting resources, searching for the best ideas to incorporate into my parenting.
In 2014, I was trained as a Love and Logic parent educator. The Love and Logic approach to parenting is built around the science of crafting caring and respectful relationships. An authentic, loving connection between parents and their children is the root of a healthy, thriving relationship built on trust and understanding. I began facilitating parenting classes in Northern California where I lived.
In the summer of 2015, my husband’s work brought us to Georgia. In addition to leading Love and Logic parenting classes, I began exploring other ways to support parents. Working in collaboration with Crescentia DeGoede and the Blessed Family Ministries, I began offering parenting webinars every few months. After studying the Real Love series, I also discovered that Hilde Wiemann had been using Real Love and other methods to help families heal and grow through her Generational Healing services and retreats for years. (www.generationalhealing.org) I began attending some of her webinars and eventually became certified through her Family Coach Training in April 2018 and launched my own website www.coachmyrna.org.
Who is your website for?
My website is for parents (and grandparents) of children birth through young adults. Using webinars, I will support parents to implement new parenting skills and methods through presentations, discussions, role-playing and practice exercises done at home between sessions. The webinars will be three-week series on varies topics: Communication, Raising Grateful Kids, The Importance of Connection, Reclaiming Conversation in a Digital Age, etc. The next webinar is “Raising Resilient, Happy, Successful Individuals” starting Monday, August 6th. For more information and to sign up, go to www.coachmyrna.org/coachmyrna-webinars.html.
I also offer individual parent coaching services. A parenting coach is a trained and certified professional who helps you achieve your goals in creating a fulfilling family life. Basically, I would guide and empower you to solve the challenges that you are experiencing in your family. I also have a weekly blog on various topics related to parenting. In the near future, I plan to develop Family Healing Retreats—transformative weekend family workshops that focuses on becoming skillful in listening, communicating, loving each other as well as one’s self and experiencing acceptance, forgiveness and healing.
What other projects do you have coming up?
It is said that the sign of great parenting is not the child’s behavior but the behavior of the parents. Beginning in September, I will launch a Parenting Coach Group Call geared towards parents of elementary age and younger. Through twice-a-month calls, parents will have the opportunity to discuss parenting challenges. Using presentations, discussions, modeling and role playing, we will find solutions to parenting challenges big and small. More details will be announced through the BFM Weekly Newsletter. I will also be providing articles and resources on parenting each week in the newsletter.
What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you?
Send me a message through my website at: https://www.coachmyrna.org/coachmyrna-contact-me.html
