In an era marked by heated debates and sharp divides, USU Extension has teamed up with BYU's Wheatley Institute to offer a practical lifeline for families struggling to navigate disagreements. They've rolled out "Disagree Better: A Parenting Toolkit," an online trove of resources geared to ensure that households can learn to clash without collateral damage.
Acknowledging the challenges that contentious discourse presents, David Schramm, USU Extension family life specialist, spearheaded the toolkit's development. He crafted three concise online courses aimed to equip parents and their progeny with the ability to hash out their differences with civility. Jason Carroll, the Family Initiative director at the Wheatley Institute, contributed his influence, shepherding the project to fruition. "The goal of the project was to create simple, short, free online modules," Schramm indicated in a statement obtained by USU Today.
These modules focus on self-assessment and method. The first segment, dubbed “Start with Me,” urges parents to scrutinize the respectfulness they display towards differing views, a critical step in setting an example for children. The second honors in on concrete strategies for family dialogues within the home, while the third extends these practices to interactions beyond the familial sphere – touching base with friends, educators, and even sports referees.
Highlighting the human element at the heart of each dispute, Schramm educates on the PAUSE approach: Pausing, Asking sincere questions, striving to Understand, Seeking common ground, and Engaging in respectful dialogue. Echoing these sentiments, Jason Carroll emphasized, as per USU Today, the imperative to mold young minds into peacemakers. "It's all about seeking to understand when we have differences of opinion," he stated, underscoring the toolkit's peace-building potential.
