(Photo by Chan May Ching)
A series of activities were held on 27 May 2018, at the premises of Great Love Student Care Centre, by the Tzu Chi Parent-Child Bonding Class. The Centre was located amid the greenery along Queens Avenue in Sembawang, and the activities were specially organised to celebrate Parents’ Day in May.
On the morning of that day, a group of parents and children from the Parent-Child Bonding Class were seen passionately involved in the activities held at the green lawn surrounding the Student Care Centre. Their spirits remained high despite the wet weather and cloudy sky. Unperturbed by the drizzling rain, everyone proceeded with the picnic held at Sembawang Park at noon time.
(Photo by Nelly Yu)
The parents and their children worked together to make sandwiches for their picnic, with their ingenuity and creativity. Little Ling Ye Heng was too afraid to use a knife to cut food as it was an entirely new experience for him. His mother, who saw him panicking, started patiently teaching him how to use the knife. In just a short while, young Ling was seen helping to cut a cucumber.
Some of the fathers who seldom do cooking at home, were obviously clueless on what should be done during the sandwich-making session. And their children were seen guiding them as they made cute animal-themed sandwiches together.
(Photo by Chan May Ching)
(Photo by Ng Sher Lin)
“1, 2, 3, Pull!”
Endless cheers were heard at the lawn during the Tug of War session.
“It is a tug of war between the good and the evil - which side will win? The team with more people? Or the team whose members combine all their strength?” asked the game leader, Lim Ngeong Poh jokingly.
The children pulled the rope with all their might and their parents appeared very excited as well. Many of the adults could not help recalling fond memories of their younger days when they played the game. It was very rare for city kids to have the chance to play Tug of War with their parents, and their faces were flushed with sweat as they fully immersed themselves in the strenuous activity.
(Photo by Ng Sher Lin)
At the other end of the lawn, a few children held a wooden bat in one hand and their parent’s hand with the other, as they tried their best to move small coloured balls inside hula hoops. The kids concentrated intensely with every stroke they made as their parents quietly stood next to them, to lend a helping hand when needed.
Pan Jian Ming, a parent from the Parent-Child Bonding class, often brings his child out for outings, but seldom joins the latter in games or activities. The involvement in the ball game with his child this day allowed him to experience teamwork and bonding between them.
(Photo by Ng Sher Lin)
“Parents’ love is boundless. Words can never fully express the depth of their love for their children. May all parents and their children love each other and be blessed with joy and happiness!” said the emcee of the next activity, which was held indoors.
“Is this your dad’s hand or your mum’s hand?” asked volunteer Audrey Koh, as she covered up young Wu Rui Sheng’s (pictured below) eyes, before letting him touch the hands of each adult seated in front of him. He had to identify his own parents’ hands through touch while blindfolded.
“This is dad’s hand!” exclaimed Wu confidently.
When he opened his eyes and noticed that the hand he held was not his dad’s, he was stunned for a moment, before dashing into the arms of his father later, feeling embarrassed.
(Photo by Chan May Ching)
As the song titled, “The Kneeling Lamb” was played, each of the children held a tray containing a cup of steaming hot tea and knelt down before their parents to serve them tea. After that, the children wiped the hands of their parents with a warm towel and applied hand cream onto the hands, many of which had already turned coarse due to aging and years of hard work. Finally, the young ones massaged the shoulder and back of their parents, gently whispering words of love into the latter’s ears before hugging them. It was a very heart-moving sight to see!
(Photo by Mulias Lian)
(Photo by Chua See Siew)
“Mum, I’m sorry for always making you angry,” said Yee Jia Ning (pictured below) as she apologised to her parents with tears in her eyes. The small, sincere gesture of the little girl had warmed the hearts of the latter.
(Photo by Chan May Ching)
“Now that we are teaching our children to be filial to us, I can’t help but recall the way I treat my own parents,” shared Zheng Yi Shan (second from the left in the pic below). Tears were streaming down her cheeks when her daughter served tea to her.
After joining the Parent-Child Bonding Class, her relationship with her children became closer. They had learned how to better communicate with each other and would give each other a hug every now and then. Zheng was very pleased that her daughter had grown more mature.
(Photo by Chua See Siew)
During lunch time, everyone walked to the nearby Sembawang Park, bringing along with them the sandwiches they had made in the morning.
The parents had specially set aside their busy work schedule and slowed down their pace to enjoy a half-day of bonding, games and picnic with their children. After lunch, everybody headed home with happy smiles on their face.
(Photo by Mulias Lian)
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