After 18 years in human resources, Melissa Griffin started seeing the skillsets of entry level hires decline with every year. While an expected deterioration in telephone skills and e- mail etiquette occurred, there was a more concerning trend that caught her eye.
“ There were increased levels of anxiety and an inability to self-advocate, problem- solve, or accept constructive coaching or feedback,” Griffin said. “I started writing about how some modern parenting styles are contributing to these concerning trends and are negatively impacting kids’ independence and real world readiness.”
In 2019, a few posts went viral and the “HR Mom” community was born. Since then, Griffin has developed online courses, delivered a TEDx talk, spoken to thousands of parents across the country, and been featured in the Wall Street Journal and Parents magazine. Now she can add Ruston to her list of stops across the country.
Cedar Creek’s Parent Club will host “HR Mom: How to Raise Real-World Ready Kids” at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 in the Spillers Multipurpose Building on campus. The free event is open to the public.
“Melissa’s advice is so practical and helpful,” noted Caty Simmons, Creek’s director of admissions and enrollment management. “I’ve been following her social media for years and also had the opportunity to listen to her speak in 2020. She is a great resource to ensure your children are growing up with the skills and independence they need to become successful adults.”
Griffin said most parents want their kids to be independent and confident when they hit adulthood yet don’t know how to let go while teaching specific skills that make a kid “ready to launch.” Her goal is to help parents and caregivers start with the basics at home expecting their kids to do household chores, creating independent self-care and routines, and encouraging full ownership of their academics. However, that is just the beginning.
“From there, I teach parents how to challenge their kids to handle interactions with adults in public, with teachers, coaches, cashiers, and librarians,” Griffin continued. “The goal is to provide a safe place for them to try new things, fail, adjust, and try again. This process, when repeated over time, creates resilience, capability, and confidence.”
Throughout her engagements, Griffin has found that parents who have implemented some of her ideas discover almost immediately that their kids are much more capable than they realized. Many have shared that with increased autonomy, their kids argue and push back less and household power struggles become less frequent. As a side benefit, followers are finding that increasing their kids’ ownership and involvement in the daily tasks of adulthood is one of the most effective ways they’ve reduced family screen time.
“Parents are finding that placing their teens in challenging new adult scenarios and interactions reduces their anxiety and builds confidence,” Griffin pointed out. “On a personal note, I am enjoying the fruits of this hard work first-hand, as I recently launched my oldest son, who is now a junior at Yale University. He quickly realized how much more prepared he is for adulthood than many of his classmates. Music to my ears.”
For the Sept. 23 workshop at Cedar Creek, Griffin will show parents and educators how to create “independence challenges” for toddlers, tweens, teens and young adults. She said these challenges are a simple, structured way to teach life skills in regular everyday life. Those in attendance will gain a practical, easy-toimplement framework for approaching the family team in a whole new way. Griffin will show what it looks like to step back from a hands-on parenting approach and embrace the role of an encouraging coach and leader.
Cedar Creek invites families and friends across the community to join its team in a fun, educational workshop and open Q&A session. Attendees should prepare to laugh, learn, and leave feeling less alone.
“We are delighted to share HR Mom’s parenting workshop with the Ruston community,” added Leeanne Bordelon, Cedar Creek assistant principal of academics. “Melissa’s approach to raising confident kids aligns with Cedar Creek’s mission of preparing students for success in college and beyond.”
