Welcome to FamilyeJournal.com –
Connecting parents and their children.

FamilyeJournal (FEJ) helps your family improve communication and the feeling of connection by using the "power of the pen" or in this case, the keyboard.

Parents: Do you feel like you don't know how to talk to your kids anymore? Do you feel like you've lost some or all of your connection with your kids? Do you already have open communication with your kids but believe, as we do, that there is always room for improvement?

Kids 10 and older: Do you feel like your parents just don't have a clue who you really are? Do you feel like you don't have a voice in your family? Do you want a stronger relationship with your parents but don't know where to begin? Are there some things you'd love to share with your parents but find difficult to talk about?

How much time do we really spend sharing our deeper thoughts and feelings with the people who care and love us the most? Chances are, not enough. Unfortunately, all the advice to date focuses on the same thing, how to talk to your parents or teen. We agree that talking is great but for one reason or another, it's just not working.

The eJournal approaches family communication by thinking "outside of the box". Here's how simple FEJ is:

• Answer four simple, yet thought-provoking questions each day.
  
  
• Read other family members' answers.
  

FEJ promotes communication quality over quantity. In about five minutes a day, you'll get to express your thoughts and feelings and truly be heard by all your family members. The playing field is equal because parents and kids answer the same questions. By writing just a few sentences a day you'll be amazed how much you learn about your family and even more surprised what you learn about yourself.

"My daughter and I have enjoyed writing back and forth with each other in a journal for years and now the FamilyeJournal has made this same experience easy and available to everyone! It is a terrific way to keep up in the course of busy lives and the written word can't be beat for discussing sensitive and emotionally laden topics. I recommend FEJ to any and every family!"

Ellen F. Pill, Ph.D.
Discovery Girls Magazine

Special Considerations for the Family Leader

As the Family Leader you recognize the potential FEJ can have on your family. Unfortunately, signing up is only the first step and getting your family in the habit of using the eJournal is another story. Below are a few thoughts that may help your family get started.

• Try it, you just might like it.
  
  
• Just because you don't think FEJ will work doesn't mean it won't.
  
  
• We understand it seems odd to write to people in your own family but often times, it's easier and more effective than talking.
  
  
• Using the eJournal can be as quick as writing an email or having a short Instant Message conversation but with a lot more depth and meaning.
  
  
• You can write as much or as little as you like.
  
  
• FEJ is easy, fun, can be done anywhere and anytime.
  
  
• Stick with it because a little bit of eJournaling a day will make a big difference in a few weeks.
  

WARNING! Using FamilyeJournal may lead to
fewer arguments and better face to face conversations.

Consider these published statistics that show the Reality Gap - the difference between what parents think their children are doing and what kids say they are actually doing.

• Teens are three times more likely than their parents to say they want more time with their parents.
  
  
• Fifty-six percent of parents believe their teen will call them for a ride home from a party while only 13% of teens say they would.
  
  
• Teens rank Teen Suicide as 5th on their list of concerns while parents rank Teen Suicide as 17th.
  

It's only natural that parents and children think differently. That's a sign of growing up and maturing. What's important is that parents and children communicate and share their differences thereby closing the Reality Gap.

Curious About the Questions on FEJ?

Here is a typical set of Daily Experience Worksheet (DEW) questions.

1. How would you rate your day on a scale of 1 to 10?
   
   
2. What was the best part of your day? Why?
   
   
3. What was the most troubling part of your day? Why?
   
   
4. What thought was most on your mind today?
   
   

Just remember, if you have any questions, you can always contact us and we'll do our best to help because afterall, that's what we do.

it’s about sharing

it’s about caring

it’s about family