It’s All in the Family
by Mary E. Amato
December 2007
  
Families are important. They help mold us into who we are. 

I just completed a Stress Management course at Drury University, taught by Adjunct Professor Pat Compton.  As one of our assignments, Professor Pat asked us to rank our priorities in life. Almost everybody listed  "family " as one of their top three priorities! For most, it ranked above financial security and having a good job. 

Since family is important, why not invest some time in strengthening your family? One resource that is available to people in Greene County and 28 surrounding counties is Ozarks Marriage Matters, a community-based nonprofit organization that is dedicated to strengthening families through education, partnerships, and mobilization.  You can find out more about Ozarks Marriage Matters by logging on to www.ozarksmarriagematters.org.

Ozarks Marriage Matters was started by Dr. Jennifer Baker, Psy.D., Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Department at Forest Institute of Psychology. OMM promotes couple relationships as well as the importance of both mothers and fathers participating in the lives of their children. 

Thanks to a grant from the federal government, many relationship and marriage enrichment classes are available to our community today. You can find the dates, times and locations by logging on to www.operationus.org.  These courses are lots of fun and many include a free meal. You may have already seen Operation Us commercials on local television, emphasizing that Operation Us provides relationship education you can use.

Here’s just a sample of some of the classes that are available: Keeping Love Alive offers practical ways to improve communication in marriage and shows almost immediate results! Love’s Cradle prepares couples for the arrival of a new baby by strengthening relationships and discussing common concerns for new parents.  P.I.C.K. a Partner is for singles who want to understand their own role in their relationships and how a partner’s behavior predicts the type of spouse they would be.  Survival Skills for Stepcouples helps blended families enhance communication and develop healthy coping patterns.

Be sure to check out the Ozarks Marriage Matters and Operation Us websites.  You’ll be glad you did!