The participants of the annual parents’ workshop learned tips on how to better care for their children’s emotional well-being. Photo: FEU High School
Parents from Far Eastern University High School (FEU HS) attended the annual parents’ workshop themed, “Anak, kumusta ka?: Raising emotionally healthy children” last Feb. 13 at the University Convention Center.
An initiative of FEU HS’s Guidance Office for Counseling, Assessment, Research, and Evaluation (GOCARE) in partnership with the university’s Guidance and Counseling (G&C) office, the workshop was envisioned to help equip parents to ensure their children’s emotional well-being.
Dr. Sheila Mae Hocson, director of G&C, was the workshop’s guest speaker. She began her talk by asking the parents to be open-minded about learning.
“As Tamaraws, we need to be brave to know our shortcomings,” said Dr. Hocson in a mix of English and Filipino. The director said she believes Tamaraws should be known for their holistic development where there is an emphasis on values and character, rather than just intellect.
Also in her talk, Dr. Hocson discussed the common challenges Generation Z adolescents face concerning their emotional well-being. Some of these challenges include lack of sleep, internet addiction, emotional contagion (constant exposure to negativity online), invalidation, and toxic positivity.
In addressing these challenges, Dr. Hocson emphasized the importance of being understanding, especially since these adolescents belong to a generation different from their parents.
Instead of forbidding them from playing or using the internet as an intervention, Dr. Hocson said in a mix of English and Filipino, “You should understand their world… for you to connect with them.”
The event was facilitated by GOCARE and served as an opportunity for the parents to get to know each other through the icebreaker activity with which the event started.
