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Prevention specialist Greg Bonnell says parenting isn't easy.

"It's not like a job where we can just quit if we're having a bad day, if we don't like the job we can quit. If we're sick we can call in sick," said Bonnell, with Wood County Educational Service Center. "But parenting, our children are there for life."

That's why Wood County Educational Service Center is offering "Guiding Good Choices". It's an interactive and nationally recognized program to help parents lead their children to healthy behaviors and decision making as they get older. The program is sponsored through the Safe Schools and Healthy Students grant.

"We want them to be able to hear our voices in their ear or hear us tapping them on the shoulder and that they'll make the right choice," said Bonnell.

Bonnell says the five session course covers a different topic every week, ranging from drug and alcohol choices to decisions about using technology.

"One of the things I really hope they'll be able to teach their children is resistance skills and how to refuse," said Bonnell. "It's all part of growing up. We make good choices and make bad choices. Hopefully we learn from the bad ones."

He says good choices can stem from parent involvement.

"We try to encourage our parents to monitor what their children are doing and to just be aware of what's going on in their lives," said Bonnell.

The program is offered in all nine school districts in Wood County. Contact Wood County Educational Services for more information on times and dates of "Guiding Good Decisions" courses. (419) 354-9010.