News & Events 
21 May 2011-The inaugural Tanjong Katong Girls’ School (TKGS) and Haig Girls’ School (HGS) Parents’ Leadership Symposium was conducted on 21 May on a sunny Saturday morning.
Over 200 parents showed up in full force at TKGS, where the theme of the symposium was “Preparing Your Children for an Increasingly Competitive World”. Participants were ready to learn more about parenting and discover better ways to raise their children.
The two schools started working on the idea of a symposium in January. TKGS Principal Mrs. Phyllis Lim said, “We realised that both TKGS and HGS have similar missions and focus on developing student leadership. Just as we have student leadership, there’s also parent leadership. When parents attend the symposium, they’re actually taking ownership to learn and to improve, and that’s leadership.”
Madam Sharifah, Vice-Principal, HGS, agreed. “Many of the girls from our school feel close to TKGS. At HGS, we are also keen on developing student leadership. Through this symposium, parents also benefit from the great gems from our speakers.”
The speakers for the symposium were Mr. Viswa Sadasivan, Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Moves and SAC Vice-Chairperson of HGS, as well as Mr. Jason Wong from the Dads for Life Secretariat.
Mr. Viswa stressed the importance of having a good family environment. He highlighted three broad roles that parents could play in their kids’ life: to protect, to stimulate (engage), and to empower.
Mr. Jason Wong echoed Mr. Viswa in highlighting the importance of giving a child a safe and comfortable home to grow up in. He shared with parents his personal experience in building a good marriage with his wife.
Parenting Workshops
Following the speakers’ portion, parents were treated to some light refreshments in the canteen. Then, it was time for the workshops after enjoying the quick snacks. Parents headed off to various parenting workshops given by speakers, who were authorities in their respective fields.
The topics of the talks were varied and catered to the interests of parents. They ranged from how to motivate a child, to coping with the challenges of dealing with the Internet Age.
Mr. Wong Ka How and his wife, Lisa, were among those who attended the symposium. Mrs. Wong commented, “It's always good to learn more about parenting. The symposium has really helped us to better understand (parenting). We’re very close to our children and we talk to them more as friends and not so much as parents, to allow them to open up to us.”
Mr Wong added, “I once read in a survey, that teenagers turn to friends first when they have any problems. That’s why we try to maintain a close relationship with them, so that they can turn to us if they ever need anything.”
While the workshops were going on, another group of parents were took part in a fun bonding activity -baking with their children. Exclusively for fathers and daughters, the activity was simple enough: bake a batch of ABC chocolate cupcakes in an hour. After a brief demonstration from the The Food Club chefs, the father-daughter teams got down to work.
Everyone enjoyed the session immensely. There were murmurs of instructions and intense concentration as the participants focused on baking their perfect cupcakes.
Among those who took part in the baking frenzy were Guest-of-Honour, Mr. Lim, and his 10 year-old-daughter, Rebecca. Said Mr. Lim on the baking session, “It was interesting and enjoyable. It doesn’t require too much effort and is something that we can enjoy together. I’m happy with the recipe and it can be brought back for more baking sessions at home.”
Mr. Lim also takes taekwondo classes with his two daughters as part of their bonding time together. “Initially it was just to keep fit,” explained Mr. Lim. “Gradually it also became something of a way to bond. This kind of class is suitable for me to join, even with them being at their age.”
His Secondary Two daughter, Smeetha, agreed. “I’m having a great time baking with my dad!”
Mr. Jason Wong was another father who thoroughly enjoyed the session. It was his first time baking with his 16 year-old daughter.
He tries to spend as much time as possible with his children, recently going on a trip to Cambodia with them. However, he recognises that time is a precious commodity for most parents. “Making time is not easy in the context of our modern society, but that is what children yearn for the most,” he said.
Children are most impressionable when they are young and the best gift a parent could give is to just to be there for their child. It is just like how someone once said, “If you want to be in your children’s memories, you have to be in their lives today.”
About the Author: The Dads for Life Resource Team comprises local content writers and experts, including psychologists, counsellors, educators and social service professionals, dedicated to developing useful resources for dads.
