Randi Freundlich, MSW, is the mom of an adult son. She was fortunate to learn about the Parenting by Connection approach when her son was born. “As a new parent I felt so much love but also a lot of fear – the responsibility felt overwhelming! I feel so grateful that I came across this approach to parenting as a young mom. The parenting models I had from my own family were not at all what I wanted to follow. These simple yet amazing tools and ideas unlocked so many dilemmas and challenges. My baby’s crying was not ‘to get attention’; with his tantrums he was not deliberately trying to defy me. With help, I learned to understand his ‘big feelings’ and how to deal with them. Seeing my son grow up to be a smart, loving and caring man has been the best reward ever.”
The job of being a parent was so important to her that Randi changed her career path to work in the field of Parenting Education and Family Support. She has a Master’s in Social Work, with a concentration on Family Therapy; she has over 25 years experience working in this field. Working at Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts for 14 years, she led parenting classes and workshops for both parents and professionals, and built other programs for parents and young families. Her adult son has been her best teacher, in addition to the many families with whom she has worked.
Randi has been a Certified Instructor for Hand in Hand Parenting since 2008. She has a lot of experience working with immigrant families, helping them navigate family life in the U.S. She is also interested in helping parents gain skills related to children’s fears, anxiety and trauma. And in helping parents bring joy back into family life. She says, “There’s nothing like seeing families’ lives change as a result of these simple, basic tools. You can almost see the joy and fun come back!”
What parents have said about attending Randi’s Hand in Hand Parenting Starter Classes (formerly called Building Emotional Understanding):
“Sharing thoughts and experience is a good way to know others are going through the same happiness and difficulties. That's how we learn and know we are not alone. It was wonderful to be in the class, and I learned new ways from you guys. When I grew up we were hit and given horrible punishments. I didn’t understand why I was having a hard time with my children. Now I see why it felt impossible for me to understand them and connect with them. Thank you for showing me a different way!” – parent from one of Randi’s BEU classes
“The BEU class has been very, very helpful. I feel so much better equipped to know what to do when my kids have “big feelings”. I can listen to my kids, instead of feeling like I need to just distract them so they won't experience them. Giving them space to have the feelings is SO much better :).” – parent from one of Randi’s BEU classes
“Randi is a wonderful teacher, so kind and respectful. She listened to us deeply and helped us learn to really listen as well. The class helped me to know that my child can cry, but we can also connect and get closer because of it and understand each other.” – parent from one of Randi’s BEU classes
“Taking this class completely changed my parenting! The most helpful was Staylistening and just taking in the idea of connecting with your child – to come to their level and understand each other together. It’s helped me to understand the benefits of crying and having big feelings.” – parent from one of Randi’s BEU classes
“I learned so much from this class! The most important thing is that crying is healthy and appropriate. Connection with your child as opposed to punitive disconnection is very important. You CAN set limits and stick to them without disconnection and harshness.” – parent from one of Randi’s BEU classes
You can reach Randi by email; or on Facebook.
