In this day and age, parents often find it challenging to communicate their emotions to their children because of the advanced technologies that have become the norm, especially for the youth who are detaching from the real world, and writing letters can be a powerful tool to bridge the gap between a parent-child relationship.
The parent-child relationship is essential because it lays the foundation for the child’s personality, life choices, and overall behavior. It can also affect the strength of their social, physical, mental, and emotional health.
Based on the Philippines Kids Online (PKO) study conducted by the Social Development Research Center of De La Salle University in partnership with UNICEF Philippines and the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, children use the internet more for connecting with others and for schoolwork and education than for any other purpose, and generally, they tend to interact more with their friends around their own age, than with anyone else.
Furthermore, these children most commonly interact with friends their own age via a messaging service or app, when playing games, or via social networking sites, at least once a week or more frequently than with any other individual or group of people.
Hence, letters can serve as a tangible reminder of the love and support parents have for their children and strengthen the relationship between parents and children among the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries. As a result, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VII created a compilation of thoughtful letters written by selected 4Ps parent-beneficiaries.
This activity encourages parents to write letters to their children to help strengthen the parent-child relationship. At the core of their letters, they are simply mothers and fathers, and like all parents or guardians, they only want the best for their children despite different life challenges. The letters encapsulated the moment and captured their thoughts for their children, which they can read today or many years after.
The letter also highlights positive Filipino values such as family-oriented, positive discipline, creativity, resourcefulness, faith in God, resiliency, and industry.
“Wala namo gipangayo ang kaharuray o bawsan ninyo ang among mga sakripisyo, sakto na nga respetuhon mi ninyo ug dili unta mo mausab (We are not asking for comfort or for you to repay our sacrifices, it is enough that you respect us and did not change),” wrote Chelia Suello, from Getafe, Bohol, to her children.
Chelia Suello is one of the 25 4Ps parents who has presented their loving wishes to their children through a collection of heart-warming letters.
Aside from the Suello family, the other families from different provinces in Region 7 submitted their entries and these are: the Alabastro, Borneo, Cuevas, Obcianal, Villego families from Negros Oriental and from Cebu the families of Alontaga, Batac, Dee, Degracia, Duran, Fernandez, Macasaol, Mondoñedo, Nulla, Ordoña, and Saac. The Andrade, Daniel, Doblas, Junio from Bohol and Etol, Paculba, and Saja families from Siquijor.
The 4Ps will share the printed booklet with partner beneficiaries and partner stakeholders like national government agencies, local government units, and civil society organizations. ###
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