| Aboriginal parents project
In today's society, aboriginal families face a far greater challenge in maintaining family and traditional values. History impacting upon aboriginal societies has left a wake of family breakdown and loss of connectedness to cultural values. The strengths of language and communication, once integral to family systems, seem to be slipping away. As concerned elders reflect on these societal changes, they often agree that there is value in turning the focus back on traditional wisdom. Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs for us to do in our lifetimes, and to achieve healthy parenting on any level is a measure of success. One of the first things to acknowledge is that in order to care for our children, we must learn to care for ourselves. When we expect our children to have self worth and feel good about themselves, we as parents must also begin to exercise this philosophy within our own lives.
He vows not to repeat dad's mistake
When George Johnson Sr. visits his children's school for career day, he asks the kids how many live with their fathers. Only a few hands go up. Probing further, he finds out that many girls look forward to becoming mothers, but typically few expect to get married. "My mother told me these men aren't no good," one girl told him. That's when Johnson explains earnestly that his job is to combat the mindset that fathers are optional. He works for Eagle Wings, a drug and alcohol intervention and prevention program aimed at fathers. Johnson, a 52-year-old single dad, strives to exemplify what he preaches. He remembers the awkwardness after his divorce, when he got custody of his two youngest children in 1999. He soon learned son George didn't like beans or eggs and had to come up with some passable meals "so we could eat as a family." He taught himself to do Shamyra's hair, curling three braids on top of her head into his favorite style which he calls "the flower." "While you're raising a child, you're not only a teacher, you're also a student," he reflected.
Playhouse Disney Launches UK's First Ever Environmental Guide for ...
Playhouse Disney is launching the first ever environmental guide for parents with preschool children. Playhouse Disney's Playing for the Planet guide aims to help parents teach their children important environmental lessons via a series of fun interactive games and activities tailored specifically for preschoolers. The guide was created following new research revealing that environmental awareness is fast becoming a key part of a child's upbringing, with 'recycling' rating equally as important as 'saying please and thank you' or 'not being selfish' with many parents. The research also found that while 85% of parents believe that it falls to them to teach their children about green issues. More than half of parents (58%) believe they lack the information to take further measures to help their family become more environmentally friendly at home.
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