When a person comes home with a VCR, he or she carries along with this purchase an instructional manual on how to understand and care for the equipment. However, when a baby is delivered to a home, no one hands over a manual on how this little person works, how he or she responds to the world, or how parents may manage new situations and behaviors with an addition to a family.

Coffee Break for Moms and Dads is sponsored monthly by the Perinatal Coalition, which meets regularly to discuss parenting issues and to promote a healthy start for local children. October 24, Councilman Corey Pack will discuss the importance of fathers in a child’s life; and November 21, Dr. Brenda Scribner will present “Helpful Hints on Raising Children.” December 12 will have a special holiday theme and guest speaker Terri Bernard, a Sociology Professor from Chesapeake College. Children are welcome and activities are planned for them during the parenting discussions. For more information on the programs, please contract Tina Mills at 410-822-0444, tmills@mhamdes.org, or view the website www.coffeebreaksformomsanddads.org.