Family Congress set for Aug. 25

MANILA, Philippines - Three friends, Fides Reyes, Maribel Dionisio and Rowie Matti, got together early last year because of an advocacy. They all believe in the importance of family.

Maribel is a relationship and family expert. Fides has been handling events for corporations that deal with families, and Rowie has been working with schools for many years. They all have encountered the different problems a child can have because of parents who don’t know how to raise their children. They have also encountered a lot of parents who are problematic now because of children who are into drugs, children who don’t want to go to school or children who just don’t want even to talk to their parents.

All these problems could have been avoided if the parents knew how to raise their children well or if the children were more understanding of their parents. Education and information regarding relationships and parenting are very important. Spouses and parents get hardly any information before they are married or before they have children. The awareness of Filipino families on the need to learn more and educate themselves to avoid all these family and marital problems is still very low.

There are no courses in school for these. Not so many books are written about these in the Philippines. It’s good that there are authors who are making time to do studies and books on family now, like Maribel Dionisio who has authored several books on love, dating, relationships, marriage and parenting.

More of these topics will be tackled by experts in their fields to talk on issues concerning children, relationships and families at the Family Congress on Aug. 25 at the Valle Verde Country Club, spearheaded by these three ladies.

Workshop topics to be discussed during the Family Congress include “Migrating and Managing the Digital World,” “Handling the Bully and the Bullied,” “Built for Forever: Preparing Singles for a Lifetime Relationship,” “Teen Talk about Sex, Love & Dating,” “From (Emotional) Wellness to Wholeness,” “Being Friends Forever in Marriage: Learning the Art of Fighting,” “Teaching Parents to Talk to Kids & Teens about Sex & Relationships,” “Managing Teen Emotions,” “Career, Relationships and Life Plan for Singles,” and “Beyond the tears: Griefwork.”

For inquiries about the Family Congress, e-mail familycongress@gmail.com. You may also call the Love Institute at 4364143, 5790100 and 09228944143, 09178972903 or Galileo Enrichment Center at 810-8506.