“We all want to be good parents,” he said, “but we don’t know how.
Put words in our mouths.” — R. Clarke

 

Dear Readers,

Welcome to this life story about Developmental Affirmations.

Developmental Affirmations are short messages designed to help people learn important life lessons at each developmental stage, pre-birth to end of life. For example, an affirmation to an infant is, “I love you and care for you willingly.” An example of an affirmation for someone at the end of their life is, “You can celebrate the gifts you have received and the gifts you have given.”

There was no one place where all of the information about the Developmental Affirmations had been collected. This document, written in a question-and-answer format, is now that place. The questions are ones that both newcomers and experienced users of these affirmations have asked. The answers come from years of experience with the design and use of the messages by many people.

For each question, there is a “quick” answer and a “digging deeper” answer. A sample affirmation directly related to the question follows each of the quick answers. Some of the “Digging Deeper” answers are excerpts from WE, a newsletter that I wrote during many years the affirmations were being identified and tested.

The contents of the Q & A can be easily accessed by parent educators, other professionals, and anyone who wants information about the affirmations. The Q & A is neither a parenting course, nor is it a workshop model. However, leaders who wish to teach about the affirmations directly or use them to support and enhance any parenting course or adult growth-enhancing activity will find the background information on the Developmental Affirmations here.

You can select specific questions and their answers, or you can read the whole document for the entire story.

Enjoy the story.

Jean Illsley Clarke Ph.D.