So You Wanna Be a Parent?

An in-person workshop for couples thinking seriously about having children

Becoming a parent is not just about preparing for a baby. It is about preparing for a lifelong relationship.

This workshop invites couples to step back and ask bigger, deeper questions before becoming parents. What kind of relationship do you want with your child 50 years from now? What do you want the first 18 years to be like? How do your own childhood experiences shape the parent you hope to become? And what conversations do you and your partner need to have now, before sleep deprivation, money pressure, identity shifts, and poop take over the house?

Together, we will explore the emotional, relational, and practical foundations of parenting, including:

The long view of parenting: building a 50-year relationship

How the first 18 years shape trust, closeness, and repair

What your own upbringing taught you about love, conflict, safety, and belonging

Why people want children, and what expectations they bring into parenthood

Partner expectations around money, work, household roles, intimacy, and parenting

Gender roles and the invisible assumptions couples often carry

How anxiety, disability, neurodivergence, or other needs can affect family life

Why work and career trade-offs need to be discussed honestly before children arrive

The importance of unstructured, agenda-free time with children

Why every child in a family has different parents, and why that is not a failure

Come ready to reflect, talk honestly, and imagine the kind of family life you want to build.

The workshop will include a mix of short lectures, guided individual reflection, partner conversation, small-group discussion, and gender-based breakout conversations.

About the Facilitators

Victor Reinoso is an education and social impact leader who has spent his career thinking about how children, families, schools, and systems shape human development. He has served as Deputy Mayor for Education for Washington, DC, founding Global Director of Education Philanthropy at Amazon, and Entrepreneur in Residence at LearnerStudio. He is also an Executive Fellow at Georgetown University’s Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities. Victor brings a systems lens to parenting: how early relationships, family patterns, expectations, institutions, work, and culture all interact to shape a child’s life. He is currently developing the Functional Child Development framework with Gabriele, which helps parents think more holistically about regulation, connection, adaptability, and long-term flourishing.

Gabriele Nicolet, MA, CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech-language pathologist, parent coach, child development specialist, and founder of Complicated Kids, a holistic parent coaching practice and podcast. For more than 20 years, she has worked with children and families navigating communication challenges, anxiety, sensitivity, neurodivergence, sensory differences, and big behavior. Through her coaching, workshops, writing, and the Complicated Kids podcast, Gabriele helps parents move beyond behavior management toward deeper connection, co-regulation, and practical strategies that actually fit real family life.

Victor and Gabriele have been married for 29 years and are the parents of two adult children. This workshop grows out of both their professional work and their lived experience building a family, making mistakes, repairing, learning, and thinking deeply about what it means to parent for the long relationship, not just the next phase.

Thoughtful Preparation Today for a Lifetime of Connection

Tuition for this workshop is $199 in advance or $249 at the door. If cost is a barrier, please reach out. We want this workshop to be accessible to couples who are ready for it.