SINGAPORE - Though most Singaporeans think it is important for parents to tell their children they are proud of them, less than half say they've actually ever heard such a sentiment from their own parents.
Those were the findings of a recent survey by MindChamps Preschool, a major operator of pre-schools here. It is thus hoping to get more parents to affirm their children with its inaugural "I'm Proud of You" Day - a two-day family festival organised in collaboration with The Straits Times to mark Children's Day.
The survey polled 306 respondents, the majority of whom were aged between 15 and 60 years old. It found that while 75.8 per cent of respondents felt that the phrase "I'm proud of you" would carry significant impact if they heard it from their parents, only 45.8 per cent of respondents have been told that by their parents.
"To a young child, not knowing that their parents are proud of them, could equate to they don't love them. This is a gap in many families, and the I'm Proud of You movement is to fill in this gap," said Mr David Chiem, founder, chairman and CEO of MindChamps.
The festival will be held from Oct 7 to 8 at Max Atria Gallery and Hall 1 in Singapore Expo, from 10am to 9pm.
Through the festival, the pre-school hopes to provide parents with an opportunity to celebrate their children's little victories and to encourage them to spend quality time with their young kids.
The large-scale indoor carnival offers an assortment of activities, from live pony rides, inline skating and family soccer matches to an elaborate inflatable obstacle course and even meet-and-greet sessions with mascots from the popular Korean animated television series, Pororo.
There will also be parenting talks and workshops from ST journalists, ONE FM 91.3 radio deejay Shan Wee, and MOE educator and teaching specialist Debra Ann Francisco, among others.
Tickets are priced at $48 per child and $38 per adult for one-day access, and are available for purchase here. ST readers receive a 30 per cent discount by using the promotional code "ST30".
