CONFERENCE 2000 in HUNGARY
“Children’s Inner & Outer Peace”

Parents’ Club
A chance to bring focusing closer to the children’s parents
Pálfiné Kováts Ágnes

I am a Freinet pedagogue. I have been working in a Kindergarten for ten years with the client-centered Freinet pedagogy, a method built on free self-expression. I became acquainted with focusing five years ago. I immediately felt, that these two methods strengthen each other. both in my work and in my private life.

I learned a lot on both fields. I have been a Focus-trainer for two years. I am interested in everything which is connected to focusing with children. That is why I participated in the first and second Children Focusing Conference in Hungary. This year I was in the group of Lucy Bowers from Canada. I felt it was a very strong group. We worked very hard. I got a lot of experiences, with moments of great understanding. Thank you Lucy. Thank you Marta.

My experiences during the Conference inspired me to show focusing to the parents of my Kindergarten children.

In Hungary,  crying or being sad is still forbidden to children. Little children are said:
Stop crying. Especially boys are prohibited to show their feelings.

Here in the Parents’ Club. I would like the parents understand it is more efficient to accept the child’s (and their own) feelings by simply listening to and being next to them. I made the following invitation in this spirit, which was published in the Kindergarten’s magazine.

Family and Kindergarten

The program of the Parents’ Club in January 2001
Expression of children ‘s feelings in the family and the Kindergarten, getting acquainted with the focusing attitude

Focusing is a self-helping, personality -deve1oping method, which helps us to solve our problems with our own resources. Focusing has been  developed by an American philosopher- psycho1ogist, Eugene Gendlin, at the end of the 60’s.  He emphasized that Focusing is not only a technique or a method, but a way of looking at things and it determines our way of living. In the Focusing-process we bring our awareness into our body and try to sense the whole quality of our problems. This process involves and encourages positive changes in attitudes, problem-solving and behavior at the same time.

A  teacher, or any other professional, working with children, or a parent, who lives with a focusing attitude, becomes sensible of children’s emotional needs. This way  he can strengthen and protect the relationship with children and support their connection with their inner wisdom and their own unique path. This experience helps the personality to grow and develop in a healthy way.

Every step of focusing was born with us. It was built on the discovery that there is a bodily -awareness, which has deep impact into our lives.

Children learn Focusing very easily, because they are still in  close connection with their bodily senses.

If you are a parent. or a grandparent, and would like to understand your childrens’ emotional needs, we offer you the January program of the Parents’ Club. Here we can learn about ourselves and about the children from each other.

A cordical welcome is extended to all

Pálfiné Kováts Ágnes
Freinet trainer
Focus Pedagogue
H-1204Budapest

Ch.F.C.
FOCUSING.ORG
WORLDNEWS
SUPPORT
GENERAL-INFO-e
CONFERENCE '98

OPENING
  R. STELTER
  M. HENDRICKS
  M. STAPERT

TEAM
  LEARNINGGR.
  TRAIN. /FACIL.
   SELF-REFL.GR.
  English-Hungar.

INTRO
  ANCHOR
  LEARNING

PARENT/INFANT
  PARENT/INF.
  FOCUS at BIRTH
  english-hungarian
  PARENTS-CLUB
  english-hungarian

REPORTS
  E. FENDICK
  C. SCHENK-song
  NEWSPAPER-hu
  A. van HOLST

PICTURES
  CONFERENCE
  HOLLOKO
  CELEBRATION