Think of that moment when your child has just made his/ her dramatic entrance into this world. And as you stare down for the first time at your scrunched little newborn, someone asks you what your greatest wish for this child was. Most likely you would say with fervor, that your ultimate wish was to give their little bundle the best parent he could have. The ultimate childhood. The most amazing experience growing up in your care as they develop into someone remarkable… …But then life happens. “Every parent wants only the best for their child,” says Rabbi Yaacov Goodman, CEO and Founder of EPIC Families, formerly Yedidim.  And as parents we know that to be true. We do everything to ensure that our children attend top schools and see the best doctors and therapists if needed. It’s easy to pat ourselves on the back and think of how great we are as parents. “But that,” continues Rabbi Goodman, “is not enough. Because nothing is more important than the personalized attention a parent gives his child. And this is something we sometimes forget.” When asked what he thinks is one of the biggest causes behind most parenting pitfalls today, Rabbi Goodman puts it as a basic lack of awareness. Awareness of how much our children need our attention, support, validation, and love. Awareness of how much we can accomplish by being proactive parents. Awareness of the fact that time flies, and we MUST make the time to think about our parenting. Parents today have so much on their plates – from work and financial pressures to the day-to-day physical running of a home. We are finding ourselves living on autopilot without time to think about the effect our words and actions are having on our kids.  “We don’t have the time to stop and ask ourselves ‘Am I doing enough? Can I do more?’ ” adds Rabbi Goodman. Which is why he began thinking up a solution to put the awareness back into today’s parenting.  EMPOWERED! – A time to pause, reflect and refresh our roles as parents.  EMPOWERED!, the Global Parenting Summit which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, the 29th of May, will give parents everywhere an opportunity to take a pause from their hectic schedules and re-examine their roles as parents. It’s about utilizing the power of the Tzibbur to inspire parents and to get more people thinking about how chinuch happens in their home. There is a widely practiced minhag for parents to recite the Tefillas Hashlah for their children on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. With Empowered! taking place on Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan,  there is no better time to take practical steps towards improving our parenting.  “By joining Empowered!, we are showing Hashem just how much we value our roles as parents,” says Rabbi Goodman. “ And we will thus have greater Siyata Dishmaya for our Tefillos on behalf of our children to be fulfilled.” – We are inviting you, as a parent, to join us for Empowered!  This event is free and open to all parents, everywhere!  You can sign up for the event here. Participants are also being encouraged to submit their pressing parenting questions before the event for a chance to be answered on the day.

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