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Online Parenting Class Testimonial from Margie & Rick Magar

- Tell us a little about yourself

We are Christian parents of a 15-year-old birth-daughter who we have home schooled for 9 years. We felt God’s call in our hearts this past November (2008) to adopt a child from the US Foster Care system. We are currently waiting to hear back on a potential match.

- Why were you initially interested or intrigued by our parenting classes?

We had done enough reading about children who had come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect to be sufficiently scared into finding out how to create an environment of peace, healing and love for the child and get them to a place of trust where they could integrate into our family and become a productive member of society.

- What caused you to take “a leap of faith,” so to speak, and try our class?

Beyond Consequences was recommended to us by our Project 1.27 Adoption Process Manager and was also praised by our Bethany Christian Services 
social worker.

I bought the books (Volumes 1 & 2) back in February and signed up for the email list. We were unable to attend the March training in Denver, so when my husband and I saw the online course,logistically speaking, it was a no-brainer.

- Are we meeting your expectations or exceeding them? How so?

You are exceeding our expectations just by conducting an online Webinar! My husband works from home on Wednesdays, so we both get the training simultaneously with me on the computer and him on an extension in his office. We then discuss what we learned afterward over lunch.
The second session with the “Cheerios” role play really hit home for my husband. Hearing a live reenactment of a possible scenario with our new child and what that really sounds like made a strong impression on him and changed the “theory” into “reality.”

- How would you describe the support you’ve gotten from us?

We haven’t needed much support ourselves since we are still waiting for our child and all this is still “theoretical” for us, but we definitely see the incredible support you give members of the group via the online chat, online phone sharing, email and Ning group.

- Overall why would you recommend our parenting class to others?

The Beyond Consequences model is refreshingly different from most of the scary, hopeless books we read on attachment disorders and ways to address childrens’ behaviors.

Since Beyond Consequences is love-based and helps you see your child as operating from a place of fear rather than a place of evil manipulation, it is full of hope for healing by not feeding more fear into an already fearful child, but by looking at your child and parenting style from a perspective of love, understanding and connection.

It’s cutting-edge and a must read/attend
for all adoptive parents!

Blessings,
Rick & Margie Magar, Foster Parents and soon-to-be Adoptive Parents