Mary Willow - Parent Educator
Mary Willow - Parent Educator
Photo: Amber-Jayne Bain
After 35 years of working as a nurse, midwife and early childhood teacher I saw a great need for a one-on-one service to provide education and mentoring for parents.
Parent Mentoring since 2007
Lecturing on Child Development and Parenting Topics
Teaching in Kindergartens and Early Childhood Programs
Facilitating Playgroups
Co-ordinating Parent Education Programs
Teaching Prenatal Programs
Midwifery: involved in legalising midwifery in Canada and creating a pioneering community midwifery service
General Nursing in New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Management of Therapeutic and Medical Clinics
Parenting
The years of experience above culminated in my book Breaking Through - How to Rescue Childhood and Heal the Parent-Child Relationship, to be released on June 1st 2026 by Bateman Books New Zealand. Updates will be published to this website and the Plum Parenting Facebook and Instagram pages.
History
History
HISTORY
Since the start of Plum Parenting in 2007 I’ve developed unique skills and methods which are proving to be enormously helpful to parents, whanau, caregivers, teachers and all professionals in the field of child support.
Over 1000 families nationwide and internationally have benefited from this unique service. Parents have been given one-on-one, in-depth mentoring sessions, covering all ages and issues.
From 2009 to 2012 Plum Parenting was based at the Plum Garden Parenting Centre in Brooklyn, Wellington (see slideshow below). During this time, I facilitated playgroups with an emphasis on parent education and offered 10 week parenting courses on Saturday mornings.
In 2012 I embarked on a two-year road trip around New Zealand, in response to requests from parents and schools, offering lectures and mentoring in their communities.
On return to Wellington in 2014 I re-established my practice with a full focus on individual parent mentoring, deepening my knowledge and continuing to hone language and tools to help parents and teachers.
Images from the Plum Garden Playgroups 2009-2012
“We are so lucky to have had Mary Willow’s help! We first met Mary when our eldest daughter started playgroup. She set us up with all the tools we needed to tackle periods of change from the terrible 2’s to the 9 year old phase, plus parental break up, shifting town sagas and Earthquake drama, Yikes! Poor kids!!!
We have heard Mary speak publicly many times, watched her in action with our children at kindy and playgroup and had individual counselling sessions with her. Now, when I get stuck on a parenting issue I just find a quiet moment and think ‘What would Mary say in this situation?’ and usually some brilliant Mary-like, simple and logical answer will come. And, if not I go back to Mary’s notes and find the answers there. Mary has been my guardian angel and I know my girls and I would be in a very different place right now if she wasn’t a part of our lives.”