Mind in the Making (MITM) workshops are supported by Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and funded through the generosity of The Patterson Foundation. These workshops promote the seven essential life skills every child needs.
The response I often hear when encouraging potential participants to register is that their children are grown, so they no longer need this information. As a facilitator for MITM, we first share how we can develop these skills in ourselves and then how to promote them in the children in our lives.
A participant in a recent cohort shared just how beneficial these skills can be, even in retirement. Perspective Taking is an essential life skill that we discussed in week 3. An interesting lesson on this skill is not necessarily treating others how you would like to be treated, but treating others how they would like to be treated.
The lesson resonated with this participant, and she decided to experiment with it. In week 5, she shared with us how valuable it was to her. By helping her gain awareness around a situation and taking a small action, she experienced a big difference in her household.
She didn’t like how her husband responded when she would peek into his home office to converse. After the Perspective Taking module, she had an Aha! moment. She broke his concentration with these interruptions. She started approaching these opportunities with a simple question, “Do you have a moment?” He now responds with “yes” or “can you give me five minutes?” Both individuals are being treated as they like to be treated, experience less conflict, and feel respected.
Implementing these skills can be as quick and easy as a simple question and can make a big difference. Mind in the Making workshops can have value for anyone, as long as you attend and implement the strategies.
