Mother’s Union stabilising families in Clarendon, St Catherine

There is nothing like seeing a family transformed and mothers building closer relationships with their children. It is that kind of satisfaction which sees Anglican Diocesan president Judith Spencer Jarrett being a part of the 120-year-old Mothers' Union.

The organisation was originally founded by Mary Summer in 1876 in the Church of England as a way for mothers to bond and strengthen each other.

In a one-and-one with The Gleaner, Spencer Jarrett said the programme has grown to include more than 3,200 members in Jamaica.

Mothers' Union of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands continue to reach out to and support families through various outreach programmes, including prison ministry, education scholarships for young people, worldwide parenting programme, supporting families affected by HIV/AIDS, and a youth counselling hotline.

Spencer Jarrett, who attends Church of the Holy Trinity in Old Harbour, centres her attention in the parish as well as neighbouring Clarendon.

Extolling the virtues of Mothers' Union 10-topic programme which sees a trained facilitator interacting with mothers, which includes topics such as how to deal with children by setting boundaries, eating healthy and HIV/AIDS, she said, "It is not a lecture series as such, it is parent helping parent, so we have discussion on these topics with parents sharing what they do. We share best practices and give each other advice," she said on the programme.

Flexibility

With the aim being flexibility, Spencer Jarrett said meetings are held in church halls, community centres and anywhere parents can be gathered.

"We don't dictate to them what time we should meet, but when we are going to start a course, we have an orientation where we tell them what the course is all about and they will decide if they can meet twice for the week, and we try to accommodate them," she explained.

On conclusion of the training, she said, participants have to write how their lives were impacted by the programme, following which they receive a certificate.

Spencer Jarrett said many who take part in the training express delight and shared that it has totally made a difference in their relationships with their children. She also said that the parenting group is very much in demand and it has seen children behaving better. But for her, one of the most rewarding experiences was seeing three fathers taking part in the training and seeing it to the end.

As 2018 winds down, Spencer Jarrett said the mandate is to touch even more families.