 
Above left: This Parent Did it!
Above right: Kenneth, Emma, David, Gwendolyn mastering "Gumdrops" to sing to their daughters.
Our annual Parenting Conference over the weekend of 12-13 November served to empower parents to give their children the best childhood possible; here’s what the participants have to say. Look out for a Parenting Workshop for Grandparents next!
“My A-ha! lesson was realizing that I don’t have to accelerate learning for my child – each stage has its appropriate learning experiences”, says Clara Chua who now feels wiser about various learning theories, e.g. Glenn Doman’s flash cards and Montessori methods.
Kenneth Pang puts it another way, “It’s not the answers; it’s how you get them.” Throughout the 2-day conference, Mrs. Patricia Koh helped parents see the importance of horizontal learning through varied experiences rather than vertical learning which is merely result-oriented. The former ensures the child has an enjoyable and rich childhood while the latter merely adds unnecessary stress and deprives the child from exploratory time.
Lim Siew Ling has attended almost every Cookies & Coffee Workshop in 2005, and says, “This holistic conference has provided a complete picture for me – I feel more equipped now.” All key aspects of parenting were covered in the 5 “C”s of Parenthood – Caring, Communicating, Complementing, Controlling and Celebrating.
Perhaps the most touching testimony of all was from Tan Mei Mei, a widow with 3 young children. “I’m usually very authoritarian with my children at home, having to yell at them to prepare for bed quickly and so on. This conference helped me reflect on my parenting style and its effect on my children and I feel encouraged to communicate better with them and understand them as unique individuals.”
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