Historical November 1977 community notice. Original dates, prices, services and contact information are preserved; current availability has not been established.
1. Are you a troubled or nervous parent who has no place to get help?
2. When you are ready to blow up is it you and the children who bear the brunt of it?
3. Do you feel confused, guildty and frightened about your parental behavior and feelings?
4. Do you believe that you were treated indifferently or cruelly as a child and that now you’re repeating some of the ‘past?
5. When you hear the words “abuse” or “neglect” do you end up thinking about your childhood or the parenting you’re doing now?
6. Are you physically or emotionally abusing or neglecting one or more of your children?
7. Do you want your relationship with your children to be different…your family life more fulfilling…less explosive and tense…more loving?
Thousands of parents have become members of Parents Anonymous because their answers were yes to one or more of these seven questions. P.A. provides them with a program where they can finally develop a meaningful involvement that helps them overcome the crushing inner turmoil. A place where they can sort through the hurting and painful experiences of the past…relieve the confusion, fear and dread of what’s happening now…and not have to leive with the anger, frustration and loneliness that can build up when it appears that nobody cares…enough to help.
P. A. members find that once-a-week P. A. chapter meeting is helpful; at meeting they get together with other parents who have similar difficulties. Chapter members select a member to provide the active leadership. This member is then the chapter chairperson. To further enhance and strengthen the chairperson’s role, the chairperson is aided and “backed up” by a sponsor, who is a professional person in one of the mental health fields. Together, as a group, they support and encourage each other in searching out positive alternatives to the abusive behavior in their lives.
Members also share phone numbers and, occasionally, addresses so that during the week, should a crisis arise, they can call or visit one another for direct help. They also call other group members and share their successes in preventing a crisis or abusive incident.
P. A. is anonymous and no one needs to use other than their first name,- although some members choose to use their full names. There are no membership fees, dues or other costs. No one has to openly ‘admit’ their parenting problems, although many members do, and most find that ‘getting it off one’s chest’ is a great relief.
P. A. is not a religious or spiritual belief program, therefore P. A. asks none of its members to change their individual religious or spiritual beliefs, or to believe in anything other than the human capacity for change and growth.
P. A. has no “magic cures or answers”, nor does P. A. believe that any “magic answers” are available. Members do have a common purpose, a unity in goals and a sincere interest in helping each other. In its own way, one might say that people helping people has its own touch of “magic”.
If you have answered yes to the seventh question…join us. Give yourself and your children an opportunity to see that it can be different from the way it is now. Don’t wait to see if all your problems will just ‘up and disappear’. Remember, your problems didn’t go away yesterday when you wished it. Get involved with someone who cares…about you…your troubles…your desire to have a more fulfilling and rewarding life for yourself and your family.
A chapter of Parents Anonymous meets Tuesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Trinity Church, 600 N. Euclid. Call 534- 9438 to get more information about joining a group.
Originally published in The Paper, November 1977.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: The printed spellings “guildty” and “leive” are retained.
Original source: SD_Times1977_11.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
