Social capital, Developmental Assets, Things that make you feel good and give you hope. Support systems. People you can depend on and trust and who reciprocally depend on and trust in you. These are the intangibles, the things that you cannot buy or sell that make for a healthy and productive society. These are the things that engender resilience in children or any person. How do we raise children who are confident, compassionate, capable and see themselves as valued members of society? And, if we don’t raise these kinds of children, what will be the result? Children who are fearful, angry, and lack the internal and external resources to make good, healthy choices do not have adequate social capital.
Internal and external strengths come from healthy families. What is a healthy family? Does a family have to have money to produce resilient children who are contributing members in a community? Is poverty synonymous with poor parenting? What resources do single parents need that might be different from couples? How do you teach values to children so that they will have good character and be more likely to make healthy choices? What parenting style is more conducive to effectively raising decent, caring, intelligent children? What are some keys to effective discipline and what is discipline, really?
These are some of the questions and topics we tackled recently in a workshop about Parenting and that are covered quite extensively in our newly revised Parenting for the 21st Century© curriculum, a TOOB, Teach out of the Box course. We have compiled a series of 16 lessons and accompanying hand-outs as well all necessary documentation, including instructor-client agreement, attendance sheet, Parenting completion certificate, instructor notes and more. It is an interactive course to empower any parent or childcare provider to become a Premium Parent, a first class participant in the healthy growth and development of his or her children. Any Family Life Educator, social service practitioner or minister can utilize Parenting for the 21st Century to Teach right out of the package and have everything they need to instruct childcare providers from a variety of cultures or backgrounds. We’ve taught this course to adults of all ages as well as teen parents and have received positive feedback that this Parenting for the 21st Century course is effective and empowering. For more information contact us at info@dzfi.org.
Dear Relationship Coach,
My sister is dating someone our family suspects is abusive. Unexplained bruises and the fact that my sister avoids most family members. They have been together for less than a year. She told my mom that he asked her to marry him. None of us know anything about this guy and when we have been in his company, he appears quite possessive and demanding. We are a close-knit family and I don’t know what to do. Do you have any suggestions?
Worried in Wisconsin
Dear Worried,
From your description, you may genuinely have cause for concern.Symptoms of abuse include alienation, possessiveness, irrational jealousy or unwarranted behavior. Be supportive, reach out to your sister even when she doesn’t initiate contact. And do so regularly. Insist on lunch or dinner for some occasion, a birthday, perhaps, and let her know that know matter what, you and the rest of the family loves her and leave the door open for her to share. Let her know that you have noticed bruises and her distant behavior and that you are concerned. Be prepared for denial, though. Become familiar with Domestic Violence centers in your area and keep numbers and resources handy so that at any time, you will have them available. Call your local Domestic Violence center and ask advice. If you believe in prayer, this is a good time to cover your sister with protective prayers and meditation.
Please keep us informed. Take care.
Your Relationship Coach
