Testimonials

“The parenting skill that I believe I learned and renewed is patience. One of my biggest parenting “fo-paws” [sic] before I attended the Middle Way, was a lack of patience.  Attending this class has helped me to learn that I am not the only parent who can’t get her daughter to go to sleep at bedtime.  Through this class, I have learned to network with other parents and we learned together how to manage ourselves and our children. 

I think the most important part was learning about ourselves first.  We learned how to tend to our own needs, before we could tend to our children’s.  Also, the portion where we discussed our past, our hopes & dreams, and the morals & values we wanted to bestow upon our children was essential to “parenting with balance.”  Everybody says it would be nice if kids came with manuals.  Well, this class is it.  As everyone attends the class, they write their own manuals through what they learn.

Throughout the fifteen weeks, I have written my own manuals.  The first word in my manual is P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E.  I give thanks to those who wrote “The Middle Way,” they have helped change the life of myself & my family forever.” 

Parent
10-27-00

A Real Life Program for Real Life Parents

As reprinted from Family Service Association’s newsletter, Volume 15, Number 1, Fall 2001

After engaging in a two-year custody battle with her ex-husband, Christina felt exhausted and began to doubt her ability to parent. “I had bought into the false image of myself was it was presented in courts,” she recalls.  Her self-doubt led to enrollment in a nurturing program offered by Family Service Association.

“It was an excellent program, but it was primarily a lecture format and I needed something that would help me communicate with others and resolve issues that were still bothering me,” she said.  She returned to Family Service Association to participate in the new 15-week parenting program, The Middle Way, which is offered by Family Forward (previously known as Parents Anonymous).

“The Middle Way really hit home for me.  This was about real life issues, not stuff out of a book.  I met real people from all walks of life.  It was such a good program and a wonderful training experience that I took a training class and became a parent leader.  In that capacity, I could serve as a role model to other parents while continuing to work on my own issues.”

Christina continued to participate as a parent leader, using her bilingual skills, and in the fall she will begin serving as a paid facilitator for The Middle Way.  “We will present the program through local school districts, taking it our in the community and offering it bilingually.  I can see the program work for people,” she says.  “The material we use is fantastic and useful in all aspects of life…you can use same techniques with a six year old child, a teenager, co-workers, supervisors, subordinates and personal relationships with family, boyfriends, girlfriends and spouses. These concepts work for everyone.”

As evidence of Christina’s progress, she reports, “A year after I took The Middle Way, I had to have a face to face meeting with my son’s father and a psychologist. It was amazing to me to see how well I reacted…and the psychologist’s evaluation reflected my new abilities to handle difficult situations.  It was a wonderful feeling to overcome all of those issues and to see the positive changes in my son.”

She learned she wasn’t a horrible mother.  The Middle Way instilled techniques to cope with stresses of single parenting, and to find balance in her life while a juggling career, family finances, and personal needs.  Her six-year old son also made marked strides after going through the children’s program that operates in conjunction with The Middle Way for parents.