“I aim to maintain the progress I’ve made, repair relationships and continue my personal growth. I hope to have a better relationship with my partner and be a good father.”
“My goals are now to find peace within myself and create a healthy environment and home life for my wife and daughter. Always remaining honest and accountable for my actions.”
“Seeing some of the videos in class made an impact on me and how I behave in front of my child. I regret behaving badly in front of her. I still watch videos so that I don’t make the mistake again. We are very loving and playful. I only have two days that I can take the time to play and hang out, but we have a better relationship. I changed the way I parent and she understands that things are different now.”
“When we discussed parenting and domestic abuse, I didn’t want to become a monster like I saw on the videos. I had a lot of things bottled up inside at home, work, and in things that I was doing. I learned that I need to communicate my feelings instead of giving my wife the silent treatment. I learned that talking to my wife was more important than not speaking with her. I learned that people have different opinions. I have to handle things respectfully.”
“It was really kind of a slow sink in. It’s not like a light bulb clicks on; it's more of a slow grind where you start to get it. You come in with a bit of resistance, like, I really don’t want to be here. And then you start feeling like this isn’t so bad. It never became a burden to attend the classes, and the homework was a big help. It really made you think, I find it helpful when you have to sit and examine your behavior, to ask yourself in what ways were I abusive? I was checking so many boxes my pen was running out of ink. The homework was enlightening, and the facilitators were great. I think it would be hard for them to come in on a Saturday. They were always interested and engaged, and they cared. The second part would be accountability. It shined a light for me, taking responsibility for what I did, and this experience made me own up to it. The facilitators are different in their viewpoints, their life experiences, their educational experiences, so they both brought different perspectives to the group.”
“My friends and relatives, everyone has acknowledged that they see I put the work into it. It is obvious to my family and friends that I have changed. They show me more respect because they know I wanted to better myself.”