The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Very cool Barbara - good for you.... the toughest thing, for me to do, was to ensure that I didn't badmouth the A to the kids (no matter how easy it would have been to do so).... If we want them to see the true value of our programs, we will allow them to witness the changes in us, NOT the anger and blame that rears it's ugly head once in awhile....
Tom
__________________
"He is either gonna drink, or he won't.... what are YOU gonna do?"
"What you think of me is none of my business"
"If you knew the answer to what you are worrying about, would it REALLY change anything?"
Your f2f meeting may have some alateen literature that you could borrow, just leave it lying around, let him read it if he wants, not if he doesn't. My daughter (14) is quite open to talking about this, and will read some alateen stuff, and might go to meetings if we had them here. My son (16) doesn't want to talk about it, at least not so openly - he is more likely to appraoch the subject from the side, so to speak. I find that if I am somewhat open about sharing my struggles, my children are more able to talk about things.- "I'm feelig a little lonely since your dad is gone so much, so here's what I'm going to do to make myself feel better" - that type of thing. Keep the focus off of the A, that's always best.
