Center aims for happier families

We are grateful at Centers for Children and Families for the opportunity to share ideas and suggestions with readers of the Odessa American. Each week my staff and I will write about topics relevant to personal well being and healthy family functioning. Our hope is that with more than 100 years of combined clinical experience we can provide you and your family with some simple, practical tips for a happier family.

However, simple, practical answers to big problems do not always seem that easy to find.

Being a relatively new father, there are many trends in our world and in our community that could lead me to worry about what life will be like for my children in 10 to 15 years.

The events at Virginia Tech last month are reminders that our world is not becoming a safer place. It is sometimes difficult to feel hopeful about the direction our society is taking.

Reports of family violence and child abuse are on the rise. One half of marriages continue to end in divorce. People are reporting increased isolation and increased disconnection from friends, churches and other networks of support. Teens are abusing drugs and alcohol at a growing rate. In addition, the number of individuals who struggle with depression and anxiety can be overwhelming.

Parenting, which I am guessing has never been easy, has only become more complex with the introduction of cell phones and text messaging, the Internet and MySpace, and other technological advances.

Our youth are communicating in drastically different ways than they did even 10 years ago and we encounter many parents who find it difficult to “keep up” and “feel connected” with their children.

Even with these and other dilemmas, I believe there is reason to be hopeful about people and their capacity to implement change. Each of the counselors at Centers has watched marriages and families overcome what they believed to be insurmountable obstacles.

Counseling is an effective tool for families to work through their difficult circumstances.

However, counseling is a tool and not the key for success. It is my experience that people believing they are resilient and not viewing themselves as defeated is the foundation for success and positive results in counseling. You are the key to your own success.

We believe that people are capable of making positive changes in their marriage and in their family. People do have the ability to become better spouses, better students, better employees, better parents and a better friend.

Again, Centers is appreciative of the opportunity to write to you each week on topics related to family and emotional health. I am certain we do not have all the answers, but my hope is that these articles will provide you with some useful tips and new ideas. Topics will vary from week to week and we would love to know what topics are of interest to you.

If you have a specific question regarding marriage, family, parenting, or emotional health please email your question to mmcqueen@centerswesttexas.org and we will do our best to address your question in an upcoming article.