By Louise and the Dream Team | Director
Each week I share good news stories about the work we do, this week is no different.
One of the activities we run is Journey of Life, a parent training for adults in the Self Help Groups who have children in Scouts. Last week, Elizabeth went to her Scout Troop and one of her children who was aged 13yrs, a young boy, came racing up to Elizabeth, hugged her, and thanked her profusely for the training his mum had attended that week!
The change was so dramatic; the boy was ecstatic! The boy, who doesn’t want to be named because all of the kids read the blogs on our website, so he doesn’t want to expose himself or his mum to any backlash, but he wanted his story to be told.
The boy said that his mum had been smiling since Tuesday last week. He had never seen her smile in his 13yrs, she was always so serious and so angry/sad. He said his mum came home after the first day of training and actually asked him about his day and sat and talked to him. He was shocked. He wasn’t sure what he should do? He said he felt very nervous about this sudden change. This was new territory for him, he hadn’t ever seen his mum smile or ask him about his day.
After the second day, it happened again, he wasn’t quite sure if he should trust the changes.
Then the third day of training was over, and his mum came home and started asking his opinion on different issues at home. The third day of training is about Child Participation, Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. So his mum came home afterwards having been trained and understanding that kids need to start expressing their opinions in the home and be heard in order to prepare them for decision making as adults.
The boy was gobsmacked. He had never been asked simple questions regarding what food to eat, what decisions he would like to be a part of regarding the home. The boy was amazed at the changes he was seeing in his mum.
It is now a week later, things at home are continuing to improve, mum is asking the boy his opinion on various topics, and actually seeking his input, the boy is becoming more confident and feels listened to. The mum is smiling, they are joking and having fun at home where as before everything was so serious and the boy never knew what was going to happen, as his mum never communicated with him in any other way than to give orders.
This is the power of the Journey of Life Training. You are supporting this training. You are making this difference.
Thank you from a 13yr old boy and his mum. You have changed his life and his future and that of his mum’s.
The photo is about how parenting can be the blind leading the blind, but with training the blindfolds come off, they are no longer in the dark without the skills required to parent effectively and deliberately.
Blessings
Louise
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