Educating families is very important. Many families are never taught how to manage a family and what a family is supposed to look like. When we buy a car we are given a manual to read. When we start a family we are rarely given instructions or a manual of any kind.
When it comes to restoring families we must realize that we are all affected and influenced heavily by our society, culture (upbringing), peers, teachers, government, etc. None of us are exempt from this. It is important, therefore, to evaluate the affect of these things on our individual beliefs and our family.
I am a domestic violence counselor and deal with this all the time. With having dealt with hundreds of clients in the last five years I have observed that identifying and changing negative beliefs is the key to change. Many of my clients who have physically assualted and abused their partners believed that it was okay to do this because their fathers did this to their mothers and in their culture there were no laws against domestic violence.
I have found that many of these men who act violently had their choices influenced heavily by their upbringing and surroundings. But I have also found that they can change their beliefs and behavior. The problem is in their beliefs. Because they believe that they have the right to hit their partners they act out on this belief.
So, as a counselor I work on helping others identify distorted beliefs and changing them. How do I do this? I present the truth to them (that women are equal to men and should be respected and valued) over a 52 week period and give them tools to help them impliment this change. Some of them come to see this as true and their beliefs and their actions change. Those who become enlightened and align their beliefs to the truth (and not to their previous distorted thoughts) are able to break the chain that has affected many generations before them.
Whether it is domestic violence, child abuse, pride, lack of communication skills, financial struggles, addictions, etc., I hope to help families on this blog by providing information that can bring hope and restoration to the family unit. Hopefully this will be a safe place to find answers and guidance to lead our families into experiencing love, respect and harmony in the home.
