Friday, August 14, 2009

OUR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: AT THE CROSSROADS

Our string of social crises - children on drugs, abuse, school drop-outs, crime, obesity, stress, jobs, drunk driving, debt, court cases - are telling us our children and families are at a crossroads.

Our string of social crises - overwhelmed medical services and costs, drugs in schools, courts in endless back-ups, churches losing ground, growing unemployment - are telling us that our community agencies for children and families are at a crossroads.

This crossroads demands the right decision. What is that decision?

For over 60 years the child and family pattern has been to look to community agencies for the help they need. In that time, we have developed every conceivable type of special services: health care, special education, family courts, prescription drugs, social services, insurance, credit and government grants.

In that pattern, families have looked to the community agencies for their needs. That pattern has now ground to a halt. Children and family problems persist; the community services are running out of resources.

The big decision for families and community services is WELLNESS.

No specialized services can do the family wellness job. No specialized service can get it right without a family wellness foundation. That foundation can come only from the family.

Put another way - when will we see the doctor, lawyer, counsellor, teacher and jobs advisor meeting together to figure out what’s best for Joe the Plumber and his family? Where will these specialists find the time to keep in regular touch with Joe and his family to help their progress?

Wellness provides the family life framework for the character-building of children. Wellness is a blend of vital dimensions: health, relationships learning, roots, values and faith. Only Joe and his family can decide what combination is right for them.

Wellness is the foundation for the well-being of our children, families, community, nation and world. The building starts from the ground up.

The New Rainbow for Family Wellness is one framework - we will need more and better ones. But, it is a start for families to make the right decision at the crossroads.

Please see: http://www.familycybermall.org/


Families now need to take control of their own wellness.

How’s your family’s wellness? Let’s hear from you and this FAMILY CHALLENGE.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

JOHN STEINBECK AND THE FAMILY


These are the messages of this blog:

  • We can be no stronger than our family
  • We do well when our family is working well
  • All our wellness is the exclusive business of the family


If you don’t believe us, here’s what John Steinbeck says:

“People need responsibility. They resist assuming it, but they cannot get along without it. I know this will cause cries of pain from the doctrinaires of the individual. I’m one myself. But also I believe that man is a double thing - a group animal and at the same time an individual. And it occurs to me that he cannot successfully be the second until he has fulfilled the first”

Saturday Review (May 1955)



So, this means that:

  • Violence starts in the home, we can’t blame the community
  • The family is the starting place to fix learning problems
  • Addictions have their source and control in the family
  • Money problems have their source and control in the family
  • Community experts can’t fix family problems
  • Most government, media and commercial cures are suspect
  • The family’s job is nurture and support for all its members

Let's hear from you on the FAMILY CHALLENGE of Family Wellness.