Chapter Five
ForgivenessDeciphering Our Childhood Is Not About Vilifying Our Parents. It’s About Understanding Why We Are the Way We Are.
We know our parents thought they did the best they could, even when it was not good enough. Learned attitudes and behaviors can be devastating and have lasting consequences. But inadequate parenting is not an excuse for our own bad behavior. Understanding, and forgiving, our past is vital for our well-being.
Lessons
How Do Issues of Forgiveness Influence You Today?
Practicing Forgiveness
Home is the child’s primary environment. When protected and nurtured, children feel secure, learn, and thrive. An unsafe or unloved environment devastates the child’s well-being. But traumatic experiences can be survived, learned from, and released. Do not be a prisoner of your emotions or history. Strive to forgive.
Skills
How do I get unstuck? By learning new skills! When it comes to forgiveness, consider mastering these: Develop independence. Let go. Earn self-respect.
Getting Unstuck contains step-by-step, how-to details of these and many other skills. If you’re really stuck, perhaps I can help!
Perspective
“Change chairs. All you can do is all you can do. You cannot change another person. Earn your own self-respect, one action at a time.”
Esther Bleuel
