The Family Tree

Our young family moved to the Cedarberg Wilderness to discover what we hoped would be a more wholesome lifestyle than the get-up-and-go-show then running our lives.

- Ann Brinkmann Middleton

LEARNING TO SEE LIFE EYE-TO-EYE 

Being a home-schooling mom I was impelled to find a method of conflict resolution that was sustainable, and so it was that Eye2Eye was born out of necessity. Whilst I recorded my understandings, Christine Tomcheck encouraged me to write a book, The Child Whisperer! Subsequently, another dear friend, Michela Collett, suggested the title Eye2Eye.

My sons, Shahan and Bodhi-Zen who are now adult men, were the catalysts, inspiration and test drivers for the conflict resolution process! I learnt most importantly that when children have family chores to perform, their self-confidence and self-esteem grow because they feel needed and reliable. Shahan and Bodhi had goats to milk, chickens to feed, seedlings to water, solar panels to check and many other tasks that empower growing children. By caring for their environment, they were also learning to care for themselves.

EYE2EYE PARENTING: THE FAMILY TREE 

As a parent, therapist and teacher, I love to watch people blossom. I honour each child as I do each parent, for without each other no learning can take place. Parenting is a highly dynamic job and requires a variety of different skills – however, every parent is rewarded with opportunities for awareness and transformation.

GROWING THE TREE 

‘Ouch! That hurt!’ makes us pay attention to the toe that is painful. However, conflict is a natural gauge to make us pay attention on subtler levels too.