Gwyllum's commentsComments On: Everything Articles Blogs Journals Photos created by: EveryoneGwyllum When Something Just Doesn't Feel Right28 Sep 2006 02:35 AM Discernment certainly is a wonderful gift of the Spirit, Melissa. I also believe our ability to recognize 'early warning signs' is a deeply rooted sense that originates from a spiritual connection within. We need to explore this sense within our selves before we can encourage others to recognize and tap into their early warning signs in relation to personal safety in so many areas of our daily life. Budget Strategies: The Envelope System26 Sep 2006 04:47 AM Miriam, I really like your system. I am a great fan of systems theory and apply it to many areas of life. This would be a great way for reducing the much talked about, dreaded credit card debt. Hope your suggestion helps many people. Those Blasted Grass Roots Movements26 Sep 2006 04:31 AM Great examples Valorie. One of my Grandmothers was the second woman to graduate in England with a science degree. She had little support from others, even in her own family at that time. Never was able to work within her chosen and qualified profession because of firstly, being a woman and secondly, she had one turned eye. Many of her descendants are head strong women who have graduated and continued with both professional developement and professional employment. Many of us have worked at the 'grass roots' level to empower the disempowered and bring about social, political and personal change. I'm now in my 60's and say, GO FOR IT to Grass Roots Movements - I even got chucked out of Central America for it!! Ignorant Comments25 Sep 2006 11:38 PM In my book, your family is made up of four precious people. Good on you, MJ. I hope you and your family enjoy a life as fantastic as my family have. There have been hard times but we have always had each other through incredible times of illness and lots of broken heart stuff. Go for it by living the example. People will know and notice. Keep speaking up and know there are others around the globe who are with you in spirit! God bless. Gwyllum. Dilemna: What Do You Do When Kids Have The Day Off From School?25 Sep 2006 04:01 PM Would forming a pressure group of like-needing parents and becoming political encourage corporate change to include a pooling style of management for some childcare facilities, therefore allowing children of working parents easier access to child care? Maybe over time this could be successful. However, it would take so long that those requiring better facilities now may not benefit but future families may. Always good to think of times ahead. Women are particularly good at this. Gwyllum. Book Review: ScreamFree Parenting25 Sep 2006 03:39 PM Myra, your recommendation of Runkel's book is great for new parents, and also for not so new parents. Being a parent is such a responsible role in life and one that most people feel unprepared for. For me, parenting has been an ongoing learning curve for 45 years. In my experience, it doesn't always stop when our children reach adulthood! These days, many grandparents fulfill the parenting role too. Families can be such a great group to belong to. It is sad that sometimes families are not such a good place for children to be. However, sharing skills is a way to empower ourselves and others. Good for you. Gwyllum. Helpful Tips for a Rainy Day25 Sep 2006 05:11 AM Myra, your article is so refreshing. Colouring-in was always a favourite for us! Brings back many memories for me, of lovely days and sometimes many long evenings and nights, with my five children. All well and truly grown with children of their own now. My husband was away more than most servicemen, due to the nature of his work within the Australian Defence Forces. Although those years were very difficult, we bonded so closely as children and mother. We did all the things you speak of and as they grew, much more as well. Sometimes, I would declare a school holiday and children and I would head off to a museum, art gallery or some such place of interest. We sometimes went for a drive. However, we would go so far that we ended up staying somewhere in a motel, returning home the next day! As the children grew older, we would have 'language' days - we would speak in another language other than English, or attempt to anyway!! Language dictionaries and phrase books were great. We did so many wonderful things TOGETHER. When my husband came home from where ever he had been around the world, there was always a time of adaptation, for the children and also for him, in getting to know eachother again. After a life of great difficulty in many war zones, he always enjoyed getting home to our dinner games. He and the children would play math games and many word games at the dinner table. After dinner, he would take them outside at night. They would all 'read' the sky and learn a little about navigating by the stars. Doing things with our kids is soooo important at any age - for them and us! I am sitting here thinking all that stuff about 'nurturing our inner child'. Well, that may be a good thing to do but to come down to earthly space, it is just plain good fun! I wish you and Tyler well, Myra. Colouring-in was always a favourite for us too. P.S. I hope the experience of dislocation and resettlement following the BIG storm does not change your wonderful sense of creativity. Gwyllum. A Glass of Water May Make the Burden of Child Sexual Assault Too Heavy.24 Sep 2006 11:57 PM Well said, Megan. The weight of any kind of abuse is too much for a child to carry. Also true for many adults, too. My first thought is, once the on-going weight of "the glass of water" is lifted through dropping it, another stressor immediately occurs. As a glass shatters, little bits sticking into feet, knees, where ever, cause pain. When a child is relieved of the responsibility of carrying the weight of abuse and or neglect, they are suddenly faced with a different environment (stressor). That environment may be loving and supportive. However, there may also be an element of disbelief by others in authority or by substitute carers. This can also occur in the life of adult survivors of abuse too. How can we take take the burden from others so as to ease their emotional and physical pain if we do not recognize the weight of our own self-abuse? It is my belief that to grow in empathy for another's experience in life (whatever that my be) we must be 'selfish' enough to recognize and also to own our personal values, beliefs and coping strategies. It can be a real challenge to be deeply honest in this area. To feel comfortable about discussing topics of neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse, leading onto protective behaviours, we need to be aware of how difficult it is for children and/or adults who are surviving abuse to disclose their experience. After all, how many of us have actually been asked by a police officer or social worker, "tell me more, has he put his penis in your mouth?", or "when did he last touch your vagina and your breasts?". Would not be very nice. Something akin to a visitor arriving at my door and asking "well, did you have sex last night and how was it? Tell me all about it?" Also, we need to remember, boys and men are also frequently abused sexually as well as in other ways. Your recommendation of talking to our children about protective behaviours is a good way to go. It is also very important for our chidren and teenagers to know the correct names for body parts. When families can discuss these issues seriously and appropriately for age specific levels, we are indeed teaching them the strategies associated with protective behaviours. Hence, enabling them to put down their 'glass of water' and take up refreshing levels of self-esteem, renewed confidence in life and, STAYING SAFE. All very interesting. Awareness and appropriate family support are such important 'tools' for us all in our every day family lives. I raise my 'glass' and make a toast to 'having the courage to make a difference'. Who will join me? God bless. Gwyllum. |
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