A great society no doubt begins with a functional family system. Making the family system works, begins with the right parenting.
One person passionate about right parenting and who has taken the gauntlet to provide a solution in this space is Oluwatoyin Ogunkanmi.
Oluwatoyin is an experienced psychologist and the founder of Parenting Support System Limited – a coaching business that supports individuals on their parenting journey with proven strategies and framework.
She was inspired to establish her Parenting Support System Limited in 2017 owing to her first experience as a mother.
“18 years ago while planning to become a parent, I had done all the preparation for the physical and cognitive & academic development of my first child,” she says.
“I had read a whole lot about his milestones and every other thing but still had little knowledge about the emotional development and the process of effective parenting,” she notes.
She explains that her approach to raising her children like many today was more of anger and being over active at the slightest provocation. She said that over time; her kids began to model her method of conflict resolution.
The young entrepreneur adds that she remained in this ignorance up till when she had her other children.
“It dawned on me that the challenges were overwhelming. I took time seeking possible solutions but to no avail. Other parents I reached out to were all using these same methods. I resolved to seek help. I had to enroll for anger management and parenting coaching.”
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The psychologist-turned-entrepreneur notes that after attending these coaching sessions, she experienced behavioral changes which in turn influenced her children.
According to her, it was at this point she realized the need to help other parents get it right in their parenting journey. And this made her establish her business.
She says parenting is a deliberate process that involves the physical, cognitive, spiritual, and emotional development of a child. This process she says involves parents loving, nurturing, guiding, and teaching their children.
To broaden her skills in parenting, Oluwatoyin obtained a certification in parenting education from the USAID/CRS better-parenting program for Nigerians and also another certification as a family life practitioner.
Since starting, her training platforms – Smart Parenting Coaching Academy and Gleekin Youth Development Academy have reached thousands of parents and millions have visited the website.
“I have trained over 10,000 parents, both online and onsite. I have also worked with families, schools, and religious organizations in creating a smart parenting framework.”
“One of the programs I run at the Smart parenting Coaching Academy is Parenting Your Teens with Ease. Here we work with parents in getting to understand the psychology of adolescents and also to connect with them so it becomes easier to influence their children to do the right thing and be productive in society.”
She has written and published four parenting books. Some of her bestsellers she says include; Smart Parenting, Help!! Who is this stranger in my home, Preparing Your Adolescent for Independent living, Family Internet guide, Starting the sex conversation, and No yelling Guide among others.
Beyond coaching parents, she is a Clinical Psychologist, and also works with adolescents (children between the ages of 10-21) in creating awareness about mental health.
She also counsels those with mental health challenges like anger management, behavioral challenges, depression, and anxiety.
Answering questions about her advice to parents, she says “Always be involved in the life of their children to breed children that they and the society can be proud of.”
