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Volume
2, Number 1 April/May 2001 |
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Welcome I welcome you to this the second issue of Words of Caring. In the first issue, we presented to you the concept and reason for this newsletter and for a parents support  group –
the Parent Exploratory Group, or PEG –
to begin in the near future. With this issue of Words
of Caring, we begin the the concept and fulfilling
the reason – to create a community of work of
realizing encouragement and sharing among parents towards
working together to better apply our affective
skillspresented here and in future issues, by me, by
others and . I hope that the words by you, will provide
support and growth as we increase our ability to deal
more effectively with our children, our loved-ones and
the others in our lives. --John Borland --Finding the Center I’m sure those of you who have attended the Parent Seminar remember the statement; You can have what you want so long as it maintains dignity and respect for self and others. I’m sure too you recall that, nobody can make us do anything. We choose to do what we do. These thoughts have led me to ask what is,
for me, a challenging set of questions that goes
something like this: “If I can indeed have what I The answers to such questions are, in my opinion, highly individual and lie in what each of us defines as our Center. What, you may ask, do I mean by center? I personally define “Center” as the innermost beliefs within each of us; what we value, what we expect, what we hold dear, what we live by. Whether we know it or not, each of us has a center. We all generate certain expectations in our lives. Each day we make judgments and set limits of tolerance concerning ourselves and the people and situations around us. And each of us values certain things as being morally right and others as wrong. It is this “Center” that dictates how we approach situations and interact with others.
I feel it is important for us to recognize and understand our center, what makes it up and where it comes from. It has been my experience that the center changes and matures as we grow, learn and come into contact with new influences and experiences. Further, we should consider and weigh that through our actions, teaching and example we tend to pass our center on to others, and most especially to our children. As we come to know our center we come more fully to know ourselves. From this knowledge we can begin to clarify why we choose as we do and so grow in the true power to gain what we really want for ourselves, our families and for those around us. My advice, spend some time with your center. It is time well spent. -- John Borland
-- If,
however, you need a hardcopy of Words of Caring,
please provide your name and mailing address to Words of
Caring, c/o Mr. Larry Evans, Dauphin County Technical
School, 6001 Locust Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17109. http://www.members.aol.com/AffectiveSkill/Homepage.htm This is
a temporary homepage intended primarily to make current
and past issues of Words of Caring more easily
available to you our readers. We have also placed there
links to the Dauphin County Technical School and
Institute for Affective Skills Development web sites as
well as contact The Affective Skills Web Site will provide you with past issues of Words of Caring, but will also have an expanded list of web site links, listings of books and other reference materials of interest, information and updates concerning our projects, plenty of room for your feedback, space for news and announcements and much more. Stay tuned for further notices regarding the launching of the new and improved Affective Skills Web Site. YOU YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER! Thank you so much for your interest in and support for Words of Caring. Please e-mail AffectiveSkill@aol.com with your questions, comments, submissions or suggestions. |
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want, then
what exactly do I want?” And, “If it is I who
chooses, what do I choose?” I must then go on to
ask, ”Why do I choose this and why do I want it?”
There can be
many influences that help to form our center; some come
from our experiences, some from the examples of parents
and role models. For me, the center is fashioned
increasingly by my Christian beliefs. Our upbringing, our
environment, our laws, our society, all these factors and
more play a role in shaping us and building our center.
Parent Feedback Is Welcome
information. We are pleased to
announce, however, that a much expanded Internet site,
the Affective Skills Web Site, is now in
development and due to be active shortly.