The CHOICES II books look at relationships and how choices impact relationships. This series continues to promote positive self-esteem as in the Choices I series. As in Choices I, stories from the Chicken Soup for the Soul books are utilized as a way of learning through the experiences of others. These thought provoking stories can promote a lively group discussion on choices and reinforce learning points of the program.
To help teach individuals the importance of the 4C decision process, the Choices program uniquely utilizes the stories in the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. The following is a sample of a story in each chapter:
Me, Myself, and I is an important relationship worth making stronger as acknowledged in “Dear Child—A Sister’s Message” as told by Danette Julene Gomez. “You see, my experiences weren’t unusual or extra-ordinary, but at the time they took place I felt as if the world would sooner swallow me whole, than allow me to overcome it with some sense of self tact.”
You As A Parent gives individuals an opportunity to see how guidance and love can be given through even the most chaotic circumstances as in “Kitchen Comfort” by Lynn Fredericks. “Suddenly, I saw an opportunity. He wanted to help me, and I sure needed the help.
Family share a unique bond which often is not valued as much as it ought to be as discovered in “Don’t Cry Dad” by Laura Loken. “Every day I come home from work, and you’re locked in your room, cut off from the rest of us. I feel like you’re shutting me out of your life.”
Communication between a parent and a child can occur in creative and unexpected ways as in “Hidden Green Words” by Sarah J. Vogt with Ron Vogt. “Communication between a parent and a child can, in fact, be a fun thing.”
Friends are a special gift we give ourselves as revealed in “My Perfect Freind” by Danielle Eberschlag. “Somehow, our differences just seem to work well to create a relationship of comfort and acceptance.”
Parents get the opportunity to discuss the difficulty in adjusting to the fact that their children will one day give more time and energy to their friends as in “Wake-Up Call” by Bob Welch. “I … began realizing that this is what life is all about: Fathers and sons must ultimately change. I’ve been preparing him for this moment since he first looked at me…”
(Preteens) Influential People are not just superstars but those around us who care enough to teach as in “The Green Boots” by Linda Rosenberg. “Those are the boots of someone who can take care of herself and knows when something is worth fighting for.”
(Teens) Love Interests influence their choices in positive and negative ways as in “A Difficult Lesson” by Rick Reed. “Being in love brought forth many different emotions from within me, the majority of which were positive. Some however were negative. Negative emotions I had never dealt with, like jealousy, the most powerful of those emotions.”
(Parents) Influential People are all around, influencing parents and children as in “Saved By the Belt” by Randee Goldsmith. “He told me that none of the kids had been wearing their seat belts when he started the car. But (the lady from the school assembly) Kathy’s words, spoken so sincerely and eloquently about her terrible loss, had impressed him so deeply that he insisted that everyone put on their shoulder and lap belts before he would leave. That is what had saved their lives.”
Everyone Else may impact their lives in a variety of ways and may end up teaching the most valuable lessons of all as uncovered in “Mary Lou” by Lynne Zielinski. “No scolding from a teacher or preaching from a parent could linger as much as that hurt in my heart from the day a father’s eyes taught me kindness and strength and dignity. I never again joined the cruel herds. I never again hurt someone for my own gain.”
How parents treat everyone else shows children more than they could ever learn by words as in “Pass It On” by Joan Lewis. “My pay is knowing I could help you, and that you thanked my for helping. You can just pass it on by helping somebody else in a jam, that’s how I see it.”
Your World and WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT reiterates the concept that they are in control and their choices give direction to their lives. Individuals may not choose all the situations that they find themselves in but they do choose how they react to the circumstances of their lives as revealed in “Defining Myself” by Morgan Mullens-Landis. “I know from firsthand experience what happens when drugs run your life: they ruin not only your own life, but the lives of those around you.”
Reality often interrupts the dreams and images of our “perfect life” as parents struggle through the bad times they continue teaching their children as in “The Light at the End of the Tunnel” by Bobbi Bisserier. “I think we were meant to go through all this pain, for only when one experiences such pain can one experience such joy.”
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