Parents of young children (and older ones), have you sometimes felt alone and at the end of your resources in the past two years? Fathers and mothers looking for advice, two appointments are to be put on your agenda during the coming weekends: the Learning Fair and the Expo Moi Parent.
Posted at 4:00 p.m.
After two years of pandemic, how are Quebec parents doing?
“I receive daily messages asking for support from parents. […] For the families who weren’t doing very well before, things have deteriorated a lot in the last two years”, observes the specialized educator and coach family Nancy Doyon.
Parents are exhausted from constantly over-adapting. Even if all the sanitary measures are currently easing, what I feel is a collective exhaustion.
Nancy Doyon, specialized educator and coach family
Nancy Doyon believes that an event like the Learning Fair can help parents looking for resources and advice for their children.
“Parents will have access at very low cost to lecturers who will be able to give them concrete practical strategies. […] Thanks to the kiosks that are there, they will have access to a package of books and tools […]. All that can be a way to get the stuff parents need. »
However, this does not replace a consultation with a professional, she specifies.
More than 20 conferences
Nancy Doyon is one of the fifteen guest speakers at the Learning Fair, which will take place on April 9 and 10, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, after a forced break of two years.
What topics will she address in her two conferences? The empowerment of children, the sense of effort and academic motivation. “I strongly encourage parents not to always be behind their children to tell them what to do, when to do it and how to do it”, explains the author of the book. Empowering parent. With her advice, she wants to help young people learn to think and find solutions to their problems on their own.
In addition to the 21 conferences offered, visitors will find on site nearly 200 exhibitors who will offer products and services to equip parents of school-aged children, but also teachers and other professionals in the field of education.
“It’s a great gathering to promote education, family life and learning,” summarizes Chantal Trudel, who founded the salon with her friend Izabel Vadnais.
Children are also welcome. Activities, such as giant board games, and shows are planned.
The Moi Parent Expo, in Boucherville
Saturday and Sunday, it is in Boucherville that parents of children aged 0 to 12 can find advice. The first edition of Expo Moi Parent will be held at the Hotel Mortagne all weekend. About fifty exhibitors, for the vast majority of local businesses, will be on site. Mascots, crafts, sports challenges and other surprises are on the menu for young people.
It was the desire to transpose the content of its magazine into a family event that prompted the team of Me Parent to create this gathering.
After two years of pandemic, “what is reaching us all at the moment is the desire to reach out to others, to get out of this isolation and to have access to resources that we usually take for granted” , says Valérie Guibbaud, editor-in-chief of the magazine.
“It’s the kind of gathering that is good for families,” believes psychoeducator Mélanie Bilodeau, who will be one of the four experts present to discuss with parents.
Learning Fair, April 9 and 10 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Free admission. To attend most conferences, you must purchase a ticket for $15.
Expo Moi Parent, April 2 and 3 at the Mortagne hotel in Boucherville. Tickets sold for $14 at the door, free admission for children 12 and under.