Message from the kids...
It’s Hot here in Georgia. But after a most wonderful day, I thought I would share a message from a group of girls out on a therapeutic wilderness program ages 14-17. Earlier today, my associate Anne and myself had the prelude of joining a wilderness group high in the mountains. They circled together for introductions and discussions and I was keenly aware of how anxious they were to have a conversation. We went around the circle introducing ourselves, our ages, and how long we had been in the program, where we were from, and what we were trying to resolve. They were from everywhere, Boston, to Memphis Tennessee. While they discussed many issues, the common issue was the relationship with their family, parents in particular. They wanted to fix it.
Towards the end of the discussion, after Anne and I explained about our family coaching, I asked the question that I frequently ask groups of young people: What message would you have me take to your parents?. While the answer did not surprise me as I have heard these answers many times before, they might surprise you.
Tell them not to believe us
Tell them don't let us talk you out of it
Tell them not to give up
Tell them we are glad we are here it is worth it
Tell them we didn't realize how much we were hurting the family
Tell them thank you for sending us here.
This group was most sincere and highly skilled at this point in their program in communicating their ideas and their feelings. I wish you could have been there. And as a father who has a daughter that went to a wilderness program it was most reassuring.
