Walking in their Shoes

Our second "Strengthening Families" program gave a little perspective to everyone in the family. As always we started the program eating dinner together (this week we had some of Christy's special recipe chili as prepared by Penny and grilled cheese sandwiches). After our brief meal we split up with adults in one room and youth in another.
During the youth session we talked about the pressures parents and caregivers must deal with as well as the pressures youth face. We played a game that made each youth think about why parents react the way they do (often times it is not because they want to be mean, it is because they care about what happens to their children). We also made special compliment cards for each youth to remind them how special they are as individuals and allow them to have something on rough days to look at and remind themselves of the good things about them.

The parents worked on I statements to help them identify things they would like to work on for themselves and their families. The I statements were taken home for them to place somewhere where everyone in the family could see them and work on them together.

During the family session each family made a tree. This was more than your typical family tree. It was a tree that showed family members, their characteristics, and strengths. It was an opportunity for each member of the family to show the important characteristics that they see in each other.

At the end of the session we came together as a group in our circle. At that time the parents/caregivers and youth both give positive aspects of the other and say their pledges. It was a wonderful evening for all.