Before listing and describing them, Kohn explained that he wasn’t there to tell us what to do or say to your kids. He doesn’t know us and he doesn’t know our kids. It would be as presumptuous as it would be preposterous. Parenting is all about knowing your child. Observing them. And your relationship with them. How can you tell someone you don’t know what to say to someone you’ve never met? So, instead, he offered guidelines of how to work with your kids.

The guidelines are his. The commentary is my own.

ALFIE KOHN’S 8 GUIDELINES FOR “WORK WITH” PARENTING

1) RECONSIDER YOUR REQUEST

If your kid doesn’t just up and do what you want him to do, or is putting up a fight (as in trying to stick up for themselves), did you really ask something reasonable?

2)  PUT RELATIONSHIP FIRST

Is it really worth eroding your relationship with your kids (or their own relationship with their hypothalamus) to get them to not have a second cupcake?

3) TRY TO TAKE YOUR KID’S POV

I think this quote from to Kill a Mocking Bird captures some of what he meant:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

You may not feel hot and sweaty in a jacket, but can you imagine that your child who isn’t putting it on when you asked, might? Perhaps he’s been playing for an hour while you’ve been sitting in the shade.

Or…

Can you imagine how it might feel to be three years old and to show up at a birthday party at a big gymnasium and be told to go jump on the trampoline with your hands in the air and follow the leader on obstacle course over balance bars and swinging ropes? And then when you cling to your mother and shake your head no and find that she’s not the warm refuge you were looking for but is instead pushing your out there? After all, all the other kids are doing it. Ask: What is your kid seeing and feeling? Personally, I want my kids to be cautious when it comes to potentially new, scary overwhelming and dangerous situations. Honor it. (For example!)

4) THE MESSAGE THEY NEED IS THAT WE LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY

How do we communicate this? It’s not enough to feel like we love the unconditionally. They need to feel it too.

You don’t want your kid feeling that they’re more loved when then get an A or win a game or share a toy or do as they are told or kiss grandma. Conversely you don’t want them feeling like they are unworthy of your love if they’ve messed up. They are always loveable.

5)  BE REAL

Be authentic. Let them know you are vulnerable. That you make mistakes. If you made a mistake, apologize. If you are frustrated, tell them. You don’t have to scream about it! If you’re disappointed or sad, be disappointed or sad. All emotions are valid, why wouldn’t we want our children to see us vulnerable and human? It will make your closer.

6)  TALK LESS, ASK MORE

Listen to them. Elicit information. Great parenting is a function of being a great listener.

7) ATTRIBUTE KID’S BEHAVIOR TO THE BEST POSSIBLE MOTIVE

You don’t need to think they did something nice because they were trying to manipulate you or to get something. Think the best of your kid.

8)  GIVE KIDS MORE SAY, LET THEM MAKE MORE CHOICES.

And he means real choices. Not: “Do you want a red cup or a blue one?”

OKAY MY WORLD IS ROCKED. I’M OVERWHELMED, NOW WHAT?

A mother who had clearly been deeply affected by Kohn’s talk said, “My child is older. I’ve made mistakes! Where do I start?”

Kohn answered by saying that he’d just be honest.

“Honey, I went to hear a parenting expert talk last night and I realized that so many of the things that I’ve been doing that I thought were helping you, actually aren’t. I have a new perspective. Over time, I’d like to talk to you about these things. I’d like to hear your point of view. I want to work with you.”

Starting an authentic dialogue is important. And apologizing for mistreating your child is too.

There are so many ways I can imagine to help oneself become a Work With parent. Certainly it is a challenge. But I’ve found that with practice it does get easier (though I wouldn’t say easy!). Here are some ideas -

- Go directly to alfiekohn.com.

- Take a parenting class from Echo Parenting & Education

- Bring the film Race to Nowhere to your community.

- Print Kohn’s 8 guidelines and put them on your refrigerator. Read daily.

- Create your own support group of like-mindedish parents and bring in material to discuss weekly. Places to start gathering material:

- alfiekohn.com

- rickackerly.com

- goodjobandotherthings.com

- ahaparenting.com

I know I’ve left out so much. If you went to the talks, please share!

Family. You know. Bonding and stuff.

*sigh*

The truth of the matter is that it isn’t always easy to gather with family, and it makes sense that along with the joys that come with celebrations, we may also feel a sense of trepidation as we get nearer to winter break. Year after year, we hear from our participants about significant stress related to spending time with relatives. Our families have our whole history embedded in them, and as much as they may hold fond memories, love, and a place for various kinds of support, they may also hold a history of conflict and complexity.

When we get together with our families of origin, we often fall into old patterns from when we were much younger. Have you felt yourself pulled back into an old role that no longer reflects who you are? Does tension arise? Arguments? Discomfort? Do you like who you are when you’re with your family of origin?

This holiday season, I invite you to try to observe yourself. Notice if you are drawn toward an old pattern of behavior. Pay attention to your feelings. Are you responding to actual things occurring in the moment, or are you re-stimulated into an old feeling?

Compounding all of this for many who are reading this article is the fact that they have decided to see the complex act of raising their own children through the lens of nonviolence. Let me just translate that for folks at the family holiday party: these people are wackos who don’t punish or reward their children. What, do they think they’re better than us?

Perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But I think it’s safe to say that for some parents, their family of origin may be confused or upset by the nonviolent parenting they observe at a family gathering. Judgements may arise. Grandparents, siblings and others may feel guilt or frustration about the way they parented when they were younger. Everyone can get defensive in such a moment. It’s hard to stay in a nonjudgemental place.

Can we relieve holiday stress by shopping less, getting rest, and limiting activities? Yes, probably. There are lots of ways that we can take better care of ourselves. We can acknowledge that stress happens and we can make good preparations for the conflict and tension that may arise at family gatherings.

How we survive stressful situations comes back to the basic tools. Slow down, breathe, get regulated. Make observations that are free of judgement. Stay curious. Be kind.

Happy holidays. May they be full of ease and peace.

-Brian Joseph,
Director of Programming

-Albert Einstein

Today my five year old son wanted chocolate for breakfast. If I had given it to him, I’ll admit that it wouldn’t have been the first time. But we’ve had lots of that kind of stuff over the holiday and I really wanted to get his day started with a bit of nutrition. Not only that, the chocolate in question was not accessible, and would require waking our houseguest. The answer was no.

He came unglued.

I know that’s not the Echo Parenting & Education way to say it. He was overwhelmed, dysregulated, flooded with big feelings, etc. But it sure felt like “unglued.” Whatever flimsy adhesive that ordinarily holds him loosely together came unstuck, and all of his parts fell off. There he was on the floor in a confusing heap of howling wires and bolts, and I set about trying to put him back together.

Not wanting to become a dead cat, I did not risk being curious.

I appealed to his reason, and explained why I wasn’t giving it to him. His screaming got louder and a few more parts of his engine popped off.

I tried to give him empathy about the delicious, mouth-watering wonderfulness that he wasn’t going to be allowed to eat. Louder still. Impressively loud. I wondered if the neighbors were listening.

By now, it was past time to take him and his brother to school. I was feeling frustrated and helpless, and my own tired fragile glue did not seem particularly sticky. In fact, I was beginning to lose patience. Chocolate for breakfast? No way, dude. I was right and I knew it. Darn kids. Do you have to be so loud?! I struggled to get him into the car, and finally managed. He continued to scream. His brother tried to comfort him, but to no avail. On the freeway, he took off his seat belt. We pulled over.

Not wanting to yell at him, I got out of the car, and sat for a minute on the curb. There I was, so-called parenting “expert” sitting in the gutter, upset and defeated, fuming, with a screaming child in the car. And then it happened. Finally, long after I wish I had done it, I became curious. What in the world was going on?

Before I relate the rest of the story, I just want to say that the single little moment of curiosity that occurred was an epiphany. It was actually the solution. It didn’t solve anything, but it changed my whole outlook on the world. Being curious about any difficult situation is key to the Echo Approach. It’s not just about parenting young children, it applies to any situation with teens, spouses, co-workers, anyone. Slowing myself down and just trying to authentically wonder about why something is occurring, without judgement, is very often enough to get me through a hard moment.

I began with self-empathy. Wow. This sucks. I can’t believe this is happening. It would be so much easier if I just had a little help…

That was a jolt. Of course! My partner is out of town, and I’ve been on my own with the boys for several days. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t even thought about it until that moment! That led me quickly to curiosity about why this breakfast thing was so hard for my son. It’s not about the chocolate. Of course it’s not! No wonder his big feelings seemed so out of proportion! Mommy isn’t here. Things are really different than usual. I was ready to let him know that I had remembered that, but when I opened the door of the car, he just collapsed, sobbing into my arms.

We spent about two minutes there by the side of the road just hugging and calming down. I stopped trying to change his mind and take away his feelings. When he was quieter, I murmured to him that it’s hard when mommy’s not home. That started him crying again, but in a quieter way. He burrowed into my chest.

We got to school a few minutes late. Not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. He didn’t want me to leave. I took a bit of extra time saying goodbye. Later, I’ll pick him up from school and maybe we’ll have some chocolate, maybe not. But I’ll take the time to be curious not only about the events of his day, but about the underlying circumstances of his week. I’ll remind myself about the illnesses we’ve had lately, and whether or not we’ve had good snacks and sleep. Maybe it’s not just about mommy being gone. Maybe I won’t figure everything out.

Curiosity isn’t just about trying to relieve my own uncertainty about something, or trying to eliminate my ignorance. I’ll stay curious because it gives me the chance to see the world through his eyes and connect with him. It doesn’t mean that I’ll go along with all of his ideas, it doesn’t mean I’ll agree with him. As Todd Kashdan says in his book, Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life, “…curiosity offers a gateway to creating profound intimacy, insights, and meaning in life.” I agree, and when it comes to the people I love, I really don’t want to miss out.

I’m curious about your thoughts, as always. Feel free to chime in on Facebook or respond to this article here.

Yours,

Brian Joseph,
Director of Programming

Special thanks are due to a handful of folks. Our generous sponsors who made it possible for us to have the event were Christopher Wilcox and Natural Curiosities, Chef Jennifer Aldridge and Chop Shop Gourmet, Silverlake Wine, 55 Degree Wine, Say Cheese, Village Bakery, Proof Bakery, Cake Pops, Dean & Deanne Dimascio and Impact Production, Mari and Robert Saso and Dupli-Cat Printing, Modern Bite, Kim Pesenti, Ginny Glass, and Eric Garcetti and the staff of the 13th Council District. Thank you all so much for your incredible kindness! Please click their links and support their businesses! We also are so grateful to Jackie Goldberg and Amy Brenneman for fulfilling the emcee duties. They were both so charming and gracious, and they really made the evening feel great. Much gratitude as well goes to the committee who put the event together. This party would not have happened without the hard work of Ginny Glass, Francine Lipsman-Tansey, Isabel Guzman, and Kim Pesenti. Thank you thank you thank you!

This event marked the inauguration of our Echo Parenting & Education Honors. We were privileged to present the first ever Transformational Honor to High School teacher Travis Miller, and the first Visionary Honor to Lynn Kersey of Maternal and Child Health Access. We couldn’t have had more perfect honorees! Travis’ commitment to using the Echo approach in the classroom has shown such dedication his students. His fervent advocacy for teachers is notable as well. And Lynn’s tireless work for women and children is so inspiring. As founder and Executive Director of Maternal and Child Health Access, Lynn has had an impact on so many families, helping them to get the support that is so critical to mothers and children at the beginning of life. Congratulations to Lynn and Travis, and thank you to both for your inspiring work!

If you couldn’t make it to the party, it’s not too late to participate. We can’t do it without you, and every donation makes a difference.

So. I’ve given lots of thanks here, and as President John F. Kennedy said “the highest appreciation is not to just utter words, but to live by them.” I invite you to take out a pen, and spend just a little time to composing a few words of gratitude that you can really live by. Put it up on your refrigerator. If you feel like it, post it up on our FB page. Here are a few of my appreciations.

Thanks to my children, who teach me that every challenging moment is an opportunity for me to model the kind of values I hope to pass along to them. I am so grateful for all the enriching interactions, though many of them were hard.

Thanks to my partner, not for parenting the same as I do, but for parenting together with me.

Thanks for the hardships that led to personal growth and learning. The mistakes, failures and losses made room in my life for important events that I never planned.

Thanks for the tears of sadness and joy. Thanks for the laughter. Thanks for the anger and fear. Thanks for all of the feelings that I was privileged to hear and see expressed. It made my relationships stronger. It helped us all to develop our brains.

And finally, I’d like to appreciate you. Thanks for reading this. Thanks for choosing the tools of nonviolence. Thank you for modeling kindness and generosity in your families and in your communities. Thank you for participating in the work that we do at Echo Parenting & Education.

Gratefully yours,

-Brian Joseph,

Director of Programming

This is a very upsetting story that has sparked international outrage, and it’s hard to slow myself down long enough to try to understand what happened. Whenever awful stories of abuse are revealed, it’s tempting to just focus on how this family or this person went bad, how this is just an unusual case about some other people’s problems. I could see it as an opportunity to talk about child abuse or parenting classes. I could just moralize about how wrong it is to hit kids.

But when I see this video, I see other things too. I see a complicated person who is hurting someone he loves. He’s a man who thinks that he’s doing the right thing. His ex-wife (who also participated in the beating) has said that he was struggling with addiction. He’s clearly quite angry and not thinking clearly. Before anyone writes me an email complaining that I’m trying to excuse or justify this horrific act, let me assure you that I’m not. This is a brutal act of violence that is inexcusable.

AND.

It does make some sense, doesn’t it?

We’re always telling parents that they should lead with curiosity, so here goes – I wonder what Judge Adams’ childhood was like. I’d be willing to bet that corporal punishment was part of his life. I’d further guess that as a boy growing up in Texas at the time that he did, there was an expectation of fathers to be disciplinarians, and a philosophy of “tough love.”  I’m just speculating of course, but most researchers believe that the path to addiction has early beginnings. What pain and unresolved issues were alive for him that day? Was he hurt by people who were supposed to love him? Corporal punishment is legal in all fifty states, and encouraged in many. In our country, it is a parent’s right to hit their children whenever they choose. As I mentioned in my last column, there are more deaths from child abuse in the U.S. – in numbers and percentage – than any other industrialized country in the world! Watching the video, it’s clear to me that serious lines were crossed, but just look around the blogosphere, and you’ll find lots of of folks who disagree. It’s not just a few outliers who think the beating was ok, it’s a huge number of people!

What I’m trying to say is that it’s pretty complex, especially if we think about the judge as an actual person who has a backstory that leads up to the moment on the video. Here’s another way to think it through that connects each of us to the story.

Imagine yourself in your most regrettable parenting moment. A moment that you wouldn’t tell others about readily, if at all. If a hidden camera had captured what you said or did, what would it reveal? Words you wish you could take back? Actions you’d like to undo? How would the international press write about it if you were a family court judge?

Again, no excuse for what Adams did. The fact that his daughter recorded the beating suggests that there was a pattern to the violence and she knew that it was coming. Let’s face it, he looks pretty skilled, he’d likely done it before. But it’s worth taking a good look in the mirror. Even if we haven’t crossed the lines that he did, we’ve been very angry. Even if we didn’t hurt our kids physically, we’ve said something we regretted.

How do we learn from those moments? What can we take away from the media storm about Judge Adams? If you’ve attended our workshops and classes, you’ve heard us talk about how we should strive to be models for our children. When we are kind, they learn kindness. When we have a practice to calm ourselves down in times of stress, they begin to develop those personal practices as well. Here’s a great Australian PSA that shares the message in a very powerful way.

Like Adams, many of us learned parenting methods when we were children that are hurting our kids now. It takes a lot of courage and a lot of work to break the cycle, but we can do it. Each time we stop ourselves from hitting, yelling, threatening etc., is a little moment of healing. Each time we connect with our kids in those hard moments is our way of teaching the next generation of parents how to handle stress.

The outrage about the Judge Adams video will die down, but these kinds of moments are happening every day in every city, and each of us can make a commitment in our own families to find a better way.

Yours,

Brian Joseph,
Director of Programming

If you didn’t click on the links or go searching for the horrible stats, I don’t blame ya. It’s awful to think about. Some parents might not look because they feel that it doesn’t apply to them, some because it hits too close to home. But here’s a small example of how the statistics around how children are hurt in the United States are very grim. One in four little girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18. One in six little boys. And those are just cases that are reported! It’s reasonable to assume that if it isn’t happening to our own children, it’s happening to some of the other kids in their classrooms or on their soccer teams. The U.S. has a higher percentage of child deaths due to abuse than any other industrialized country. How did we get this way? Why do have such an epidemic?

It’s my belief that we should know who we are, not only individually, but collectively as well. All parents (all people!) deserve to have a safe place to reflect about themselves so they can be more mindful about their own practices. We need to take the time to reflect on our culture at large as well. This isn’t just about figuring out who hits their kids and getting them to stop. It’s about exploring how we as a society have created an unsafe environment for children to grow, one in which cycles of violence are supported. It’s about how a parent without support can easily cross boundaries with their children that have lasting, even generational impact.

How do we change this? It’s such a huge and scary problem, and it’s going to take a long time to change. We can begin by working hard on our own “coherent narratives.” That’s doing the challenging work of reflecting on our own lives carefully and thoroughly to allow us to make the best choices for our kids. We need to acknowledge our own pain and/or trauma that we may have experienced as children, and recognize that our development was deeply affected by our circumstances. We also can make some intentional decisions about building safe and connected communities. Surrounding ourselves with supportive, kind, empathetic families won’t eliminate violence. But it’s a step in the right direction.

In that spirit, we’ll be gathering as a community on Saturday. Dozens of families will be carving pumpkins, celebrating peace, and connecting with one another at 4pm in Echo Park. It’s called Pumpkins For Peace, and it’s a part of a very real effort to join together in the movement to make the world better for kids. It’s much more than just your own seeds and gloppy pumpkin stuff that you scoop out of your jack o’lantern. It’s making intentional community that helps all of our children learn that there are safe, loving adults, and that they can have a clear, strong voice when things don’t seem right to them.

Come on Saturday and join the movement. Scoop some glop. Eat and paint and carve a pumpkin for peace. See you all there!

-Brian Joseph,
Director of Programming

And then I woke up.

Taking kids on a big shopping excursion on any given afternoon can be incredibly stressful! I’ve had my share of fun, engaged visits to Target or Costco. But afternoons for my kids (and me!) are a tired time when our bodies are wanting to recuperate from the day. Are we going to get into the store, do our shopping, get out of the store, through the parking lot, into the car and all the way home without the fragile thread of peace coming unravelled? It’s kind of a crapshoot.

We survive these stressful situations, but sometimes it’s hard. Waiting in a checkout line when my children and I are overstimulated and overtired can be excruciating! There were times when I decided to just leave my cart and bail out. There were times when I stayed and wished I hadn’t. When it’s not my own family struggling, it’s not hard to spot the most tense dads and moms in the store. They’re bending over or squatting by their weeping children, gesticulating and whispering intensely. Maybe they are grabbing the child too tightly. Maybe they are threatening them. Perhaps they’re completely ignoring the child as they circle the drain towards an inevitable outburst. Sometimes I’ll offer to help. I try to give them my best empathetic look. But most parents just want to get the heck out of the store. Most of them probably wish I would just mind my own business.

Think for a second about the last time you saw a parent struggling with their kid in a public place. Did your judgement rise? Perhaps you thought that you would do things differently or better if you were in their position. Maybe you wanted to tell the parent to be kinder or to leave the kid alone. Perhaps you even intervened to prevent some kind of violence.

We should be generous and kind towards all the kids we encounter, and at Echo Parenting & Education, we’re all proud to say that we’re staunch advocates for children. But how do we actually help in this stressful scenario at the store? What would you want if you were the parent who was struggling? Finding a helpful solution begins, of course, with empathy. Not just for the child – that’s easier – but for the parent whose methods you are questioning and who you may have initially judged.

When we begin to imagine the backstory, we can quickly see that the mom or dad is in a pickle. They presumably need whatever it is they’re shopping for. This may have been their only chance to come. They likely wish they had more support in caring for their kids so that they could have avoided this difficult moment. If they stand in line and try to suffer through the dysregulation that is bubbling up in themselves and their children, they risk the judgement of the other adults in the room, and their associated shame. If they leave now, they suffer the deprivation of whatever it was they came for, and they feel the disappointment of the failed attempt. They may not have a lot left in their tank to access whatever parenting skills they’ve got.

“Hard afternoon? Why don’t you guys go ahead of me in line?”

Can you imagine saying such a thing? It’s a pretty big cultural shift. It might annoy someone else who’s been waiting behind you. What are the ramifications of one small act of kindness such as this? Does the “pay it forward” idea really work? You know, you do something kind, and that inspires a hundred other kindnesses…? When someone lets you go first, you just might commit yourself to doing the same when others are in need.

Having generosity of spirit is something you can practice. Next time you’re in the car, intentionally let other cars go first when you have the opportunity. Just as an experiment, see how many cars you can allow to go in front of you. Even if you’re running late. Especially if you’re running late. And next time you’re in the crowded store in the afternoon, look around for those struggling families, and make a point of offering your place in line to them. Step right to the back of the line if you can and let others go first.

We can be models of kindness in our communities. Helping parents to cope with and struggle through challenging moments is a critical way of supporting children. Don’t see those parents as your enemies. Rather, ask yourself how you can become an ally to them. When you’re the one who’s struggling in the store, you’ll feel grateful that someone offered to let you go first. When it’s another parent, you’ll have the satisfying and connected feeling that accompanies generosity and kindness.

See you at the store later. No, you go first. I insist.

-Brian Joseph,
Director of Programming

Lots of people died there last week too, but I didn’t know any of them. Saw their names in the paper while I was eating my breakfast, but I can’t remember a single one. To be honest with you, I don’t actually know anyone who was killed there this week either. But the death of one particular young American soldier made a big impact on me. He was very close with one of our board members, and I’ve heard her emotional retelling of the story; his death, the distraught mother, the bureaucratic headaches, receiving the body at the airport, horrendous pain for his family and community.

I didn’t know the guy. I don’t even know his name, but I feel like the war got kind of close to me this week. I never liked war, but I feel particularly upset and unnerved by the fact that my tax dollars partly financed this young man’s death.

I’m writing this on peace day. Seriously. It’s the International Day of Peace today.

It’s been thirty years since the United Nations passed the resolution establishing the annual “International Day of Peace.” In my anger and cynicism, it’s easy to think that’s it’s just some gratuitous pseudo-holiday without a lot of meaning. After all, the United States is engaged in at least two wars at the moment, and if you look worldwide, there are dozens of other conflicts happening too. My dead soldier is only one of the thousands who have been killed in wars this year. It sure doesn’t seem like the most obvious time to celebrate peace. Is peace some unattainable dream? Should we just stop trying to achieve it?

The U.N. has the goal of being “…a living instrument in the service of peace”, so it makes good sense that they would create a day to encourage us all to think about the lofty ideals implied by the word. But if we’ve become accepting – or at least numbed by – war, peace can be a tough concept to really connect with. The United States has professional soldiers who go off and fight, mostly in places most of us have never visited. It’s easy to get wrapped up in our busy lives. Most of us probably don’t think about the reality of war very much. We watch it on television and it starts to look like any other violent show. We read about it in the paper, and just keep on chewing our corn flakes.

Peace seems so difficult. And confusing! What exactly does peace mean? Is it simply a rejection of war? Is it pacifism? Does struggling for peace really mean that there’s never any justification for fighting? What about self-defense? Or ending genocide? Slavery? How can governments cope with cruelty and justice in the world? Are some wars ok, and others not?

Is peace a political word, used when we want to criticize policies we don’t agree with? Should we be willing to wage war in an attempt to create peace? That was how World War II was described, wasn’t it? The war to end all wars. Is peace completely naive? There are some who say that violence is an inherently human trait, and that peace is just a symbol used to sell jeans and music and earrings.

I looked up the word peace and found many definitions. The absence of war. Freedom from quarrels. Public security. Inner contentment. Inner contentment? That one struck me. This is not just about my objection to a particular war… but it’s something about me? Hmm. If peace is inner contentment, I still have a lot of work to do.

It brings me back down to earth to think about peace in our families. The tools and strategies we teach in our work have a lot to do with creating calm and, yes, peace in ourselves so that we can raise children who share those qualities. A “peaceful” family isn’t one without conflict or challenges. On the contrary, it’s a family that embraces conflict and strife and makes room for all of the associated feelings. By allowing expression and promoting communication and negotiation, we find a way through conflict. Peace is messy.

The International Day of Peace is not just a time to celebrate peace, it’s also intended as a day of ceasefire. A time when enemies stop killing and shooting each other for a moment. That’s something that’s understandable, and easily translates to what we do at Echo Parenting & Education. If there are any conflicts in our lives, we can set down our arms for a single day. We can focus our energy and attention on our little corner of the world, on our families.

That’s why we’re gathering in the park on Sunday morning for our Peace Day Picnic. We’re going to eat, and play, and make art. We’ll laugh and cry and have a grand old time celebrating peace, having a day of ceasefire.

I’m mad about the death of that young man in Afghanistan. I’m mad about all of the death and destruction that comes with war. But I also remember why I’m committed to struggling for peace. Millions of people all around the world are acknowledging the International Day of Peace this week, and that’s inspiring. Our goal in holding this event is to make a place where children and families feel safe and welcome, and an environment that’s conducive to peace. If you’re in Los Angeles, please come. If you’re not in Los Angeles, let us know how you’re marking the day.

Peace,

Brian Joseph
Director of Programming