Parenting Guided by Quaker Faith and Practices

Workshop Number

Leader(s)

Harriet

Heath

Audience

Who may register:

Adult Only (high school with permission)

Time breakdown

Experiential Activities:

20%

Lecture:

Discussion:

47%

Description

Short Description:

Our Quaker beliefs, testimonies and practices contain challenges and insights for how we can live as a family and how we can nurture our children. In a worshipful atmosphere, we will explore the support and guidance Quakerism can provide us as we discuss the specific concerns that we have for our families.

Long Description:

a. Your expectations and objectives for the week.
Participants will:
Identify their Quaker beliefs, values and practices that are relevant to their parenting. Discuss and practice how they can integrate these pillars of Quakerism into their parenting.
b. A list of the specific areas or topics that you expect to cover. For some workshops this might include things that the workshop will NOT cover.
The facilitator will be prepared to cover any of the following incredibly long list. The starred items will definitely be discussed during the workshop. The non-starred items tend to be touched upon as we discuss specific issues and situations raised by participants.
*Our Spiritual Journey
*Finding that of God in others including our children
*Quaker Testimonies: Simplicity, Stewardship, Integrity, Peace, Equality, Service
*Building and Maintaining Relationships
*What is the situation with which we are dealing?
*Observing
*Brainstorming
*Beliefs about children’s needs or lack of need for guidance
*Values
*Feelings
*Needs
*Characteristics of People including: Developmental level, Temperament Patterns, *Learning/Thinking Style, Physical Make-Up, Background, Interests
Circumstances in which we are parenting
Social patterns
*Quaker Practices
Centering
Dealing with conflict non violently
Conflict resolution
Dialoguing
Discerning
Holding people in the Light
Laboring with….
Meditating
Mindfulness
Problem Solving
Plain speaking
Quaker process
Querying
Recognizing wrongs
Seeking knowledge
Seeking Inner Light in others
Speaking Truth to Power
c. A rough description of the format. This might include an estimate of the time to be spent in worship (most groups find 20 to 40 minutes daily gives good spiritual grounding), field trips you anticipate, writing activities (poetry, journaling, etc.), or other activities (role play, guided meditation, lecture, interactive exercises, discussion, etc.).
30% worship and worship sharing
50% guided discussion, role play, lecture
20% small group activities
d. Specific recommendations for advanced reading, or reading assignments during the Gathering.
My experience has been that too few participants read the material to be able to build on the readings during the discussions. Those who haven’t found the time, feel guilty….. It is better to have parents come ready to participate than with a feeling of sadness that they have not gotten something done.
Before the Gathering, participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire introducing themselves
e. Specific requests for items to bring to the Gathering, such as artwork or manuscripts in progress.
Pictures of their families

Leader Discernment Process:

Growing out my own parenting experiences and quandaries and from working with parents, I have felt the tremendous and so under recognized need of parents for support, information, a listening ear, observations and infrequently advice. This leading drew me to explore my Quaker faith, to return to graduate school and to lead workshops and to writing for parents.
For the last thirty-five years I have had the great opportunity to work with Quaker parents. Some have been Quakers for a long time. Many are new to Quakerism searching for a religious life different from how that with which they grew up. All of these parents were seeking to integrate their faith into their parenting and family life. Quakerism, I have found, has much to offer parents. Parenting also has much with which to challenge Quakerism.
My work has been under the guidance of the Friends Counseling Service, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Committee on Religious Education and in the last seven years the Quaker Parenting Initiative. This latter group of twelve women sought to discern more clearly how their Quaker Faith support and guided their parenting. Their sharing is now in book form, Paths to Quaker Parenting Using Quaker Beliefs, Testimonies and Practices, available through FGC book store..
Friends General Conference provides parents with the opportunity of focusing on their parenting and family life within the nurturance of a Quaker setting.

Leader Experience:

I have had the privilege of working with Quaker parents within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and elsewhere for over twenty-five years. These workshops include hour long workshops scheduled before or after meeting, weekend retreats, a series of two hour weekly discussion sessions extending over six to eight weeks. All of the workshops focus on issues raised by the participants. We use our Quaker beliefs, testimonies and practices as guides in discerning ways of dealing with the issues raised.
I co-led a parenting workshop at the Gathering in ‘03 and led one alone in ’04, ’06, ’07, and ’08.