Parenting in Cyprus has until recently been left to families in Cyprus, with parents and other relatives having to figure out how to go about it, and children are often the victims of adults who are clueless on how to deal with their offspring. This is about to change, thanks to two experts based in Cyprus, Ekaterina Miroshnichenko and Arlette Shohmelian. Both reach an audience far beyond the boundaries of the country.

Miroshnichenko has got a Facebook page on the subject.

“Many parents are at a loss of “getting the emotional support needed to make choices that are good for you and your family”, says the page addressed to MAPA – standing for Mamas and Papas – “because engaging both parents is important.”

Among the topics of the page are ‘Questions to ask your neonatal paediatrician’, ‘The role of school in family life’, ‘The importance of deep diaphragmatic breathing’, ‘How to take the awkwardness out of sexual education’, ‘How to deal with your anger towards your children’, and ‘Neocortical inhibition in childbirth’.

Arlette Shohmelian, a psychologist who has been a counsellor for students in secondary education for many years in Cyprus, has developed an online course on the same topic but is exploring a different angle.

She spelled out why Cypriot parents are especially in need of advice and what her aim is.

“We have to reflect on our own behaviour, what we do triggers responses from our children, for example parents who mean the best for their offspring come across as nagging,” she explained.

“Parents in the Mediterranean area are very reactive and try to control their children, which causes them a lot of anxiety.”

“There is too much pressure, parents are obsessed with getting their kids to go to universities such as Cambridge, and if they don’t succeed this is perceived as negative while few children are actually able to live up to it.”

This, she argues, takes their childhood away from them and causes immense stress.

“There is always a reaction by the children sooner or later, and they may end up taking antidepressants or being otherwise damaged.”

Her course, she argues, focuses on how parents can concentrate on building their offspring’s character, while keeping the parents’ behaviour in check.

The From crazy to calm the empowered parents programme is explained here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67n1GBaNzro