About

Photo of Raluca from parent by Connection

Hi and thank you for joining me on my journey, it’s lovely to have you here!

My name is Raluca…

…and I am a mother of two kids. I am currently living in London, UK, and before embarking on the HandInHandParenting Instructor journey I worked for almost 15 years as a Computer Engineer, having a BEng in Computer Engineering.

My parenting journey…

…started in 2013, with the birth of my son. That’s the year I realized how emotionally and psychologically challenging parenting is.

When my firstborn was about 3 months old, I stumbled upon HandInHandParenting and I dived into the website. I felt like I had finally found a non-judgmental and compassionate approach that deeply resonated with my intuition and values, one that was based on science, looked beyond children’s behaviour, relied on connection, helped children become who they truly are, and supported the adults to heal old hurts.

In 2015 we welcomed our daughter into the world. I felt more challenged than ever in my efforts to offer two children the safe emotional environment I wanted them to grow in.

I continued using the non-punitive tools I had learnt from Hand in Hand because they nurture connection and growth, are grounded in attachment theory, are backed up by neuroscience and experience and put connection, joy and playfulness at the centre of our relationship with children. They profoundly enriched my ways of parenting.

Challenging parenting moments have turned into opportunities for connection and laughter, healing and growth. I feel deeply connected with my children, I enjoy seeing them thriving and growing their resilience, and I am more confident in my abilities to support and parent them in a more conscious and intentional way.

Becoming a Certified Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor

Seeing the benefits of using the Hand in Hand Parenting tools and wanting to learn more, and gain an even deeper understanding, I decided to take the 6-week Starter Class in February 2020.

Having seen the effect of the Hand in Hand tools in our life and being supported in my parenting by this non-judgemental community of parents, I decided to ‘pay it forward’. I became passionate about sharing the knowledge of Hand in Hand Parenting with other parents and offering them well-deserved support in the amazing work they do to make their family life more connected and enjoyable.

So in September 2020, I enrolled in the year-long Instructor Training Program, becoming a Certified Hand In Hand Parenting Instructor the following year.

On a mission to support parents

Parents do an incredibly important work while receiving judgement and too little support and recognition for their tremendous efforts to make life good for their children. Parenting can make us feel overwhelmed and helpless, alone and confused. I know what it’s like to be exhausted, upset, frustrated, angry, in despair and feeling everything is just too hard. But I know that we were never meant to do this work alone and parenting doesn’t have to be a battle. We are all worthy of support.

I want to bring understanding, compassion, long-lasting connection, deep healing and joy to my community. To empower parents to develop into the parents they want to be. To support them to find the answers within that are right for their families and to meet their children’s needs and behaviours with understanding and warmth, cultivating healthy and connected relationships with their children, based on trust, cooperation and respect.

How I can support YOU

I have personal experience using these tools and I can support you to bring more balance and joy into your everyday life as a parent through:

  • building connection and resolving challenges through play
  • working with parents who are welcoming a new sibling
  • getting creative with multiple children, tackling sibling rivalry
  • helping parents who struggle with kids’ aggressive behaviour
  • supporting new parents gain perspective on their baby’s crying
  • supporting parents to support their children while releasing tensions, anger, frustration
  • finding graceful and loving ways through differences with those around you
  • navigating separation anxiety and school struggles
  • facing the sleep challenges (at bedtime, sleeping through the night or transitioning children from co-sleeping to their own room)
  • responding well to children’s tantrums and off-track signals in ways that build close family relationships
  • setting limits warmly, lovingly and firmly
  • offering ideas for how to tackle the ‘hot buttons’ playfully
  • supporting parents to incorporate self-care in the parent-child relationship

I enjoy:

  • offering talks
  • offering workshops
  • teaching classes
  • leading study groups
  • running support groups flexibly to meet the needs of parents
  • offering personalized one-to-one consultations (in person or online/by phone)

Get in touch

I’d love to support you on your parenting journey regardless of where in the world you are right now – so do get in touch with me via email, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

And remember to subscribe to the newsletter so you get notified about free talks, workshops, parenting classes, and newly published articles.