The Family Enrichment Weekend give parents the opportunity to make new friends and network with other parents and professionals. Building Friendships The focus of the first essential element for parents is the opportunity to develop friendships with other parents who share similar concerns.   It is very important that all sessions have information that will benefit parents in caring for their child. However, it is equally important that the formal sessions are relaxed and create an open, accepting, and welcoming place where parents feel comfortable sharing information about their family and concerns for their children, and where parents feel comfortable approaching one another. To create this environment, much of the initial sharing is pre planned in conversations with parents prior to the weekend when the facilitator talks to the parents by phone. The facilitator listens for specific accomplishments that will benefit the entire group, and then will ask the parent to bring those up at a specific session. Usually these contributions are unique and interesting things done by creative parents. For example, one father had built a 6’x5’ fish tank in the wall between the child’s room and the family room. The child was soothed by the fish and the parents could observe the child from the main room. Dad happened to have pictures on his computer that he shared when the facilitator asked about the fish tank during the meeting. Time to Network Another essential element of the Family Enrichment Weekend is the systematic creation of “breaks” where parents meet in informal environments throughout the Family Enrichment Weekend. In a larger group setting, parents may have had questions or comments that were not directly related to everyone or the objective of the meeting. During “breaks” parents have time to discuss their questions or comments with each other and often share valuable information that may not have come up in the session. Saturday evening is “free time” for parents with loosely structured activities that encourage conversation and continued networking. The staff works t