By: Ms. Josie Valencia
March 5, 2021
For the past 17 years, a camping tent heralded Assumption Antipolo's Mother-Daughter Bonding Activity (MDB). The thought of camping in AA grounds, spending time with their moms, and engaging in the different center-based activities was enough to bring excitement to the girls. With the transition to online learning, the big question was: “How can this tradition and intimate activity be brought into the online space?” With the ingenuity of Ms. Liz Abad and the dedication of the Guidance Team, the 18th MDB was successfully held last January 30, 2021. It was indeed a milestone as it was the first of its kind being an online one. Mother-daughter pairs from Grades 5 and 7, including two pairs with OFW moms, participated in the event.
Participants were welcomed by a trademark energizer called “The Last Pair Standing” – a game that tests how much a mother and daughter pair knows each other. In the face-to-face setup, the Mini Theater would be filled with happy screams of the girls whenever they have the same answers with their moms during the game. This time, with their cameras on, the participants were seen jumping and laughing. Participants raised their virtual hands to show that they were “still standing”. Instead of chocolate bars, winners received cash prizes sent via GCash.
For the plenary session, Ms. Claire Aguisanda shared her wisdom. She is both a Guidance Counselor and a mother to her Grade 8 Assumptionista daughter, Margaret, who also joined her for the sharing. As the participants listened, their cameras captured how the mothers and daughters were seated comfortably side by side, holding hands or snuggled close to each other.
The next part of the program was the center-based activities. Instead of moving from one cluster to another, the participants moved from channel to channel of the MDB Team. Three bonding channels were creatively prepared: Affirmation, Dialogue, and Photobooth. These gave the mother-daughter pairs the opportunity to engage in intimate dialogues, affirm and pray for each other, plan how to face the challenges ahead, and have fun together. Mothers and daughters also enjoyed doing pampering sessions such as putting on make-up, styling their hair, and applying nail polish. In the absence of professional photographers, the pairs made their sweetest pose and took selfies which they uploaded and shared with the other participants in the MDB Team.
To culminate the bonding activity, the participants shared their deep insights about their relationship and their appreciation for the activity either verbally or through the chat box. Some participants were so touched that they even cried. From their sharings, it was evident that the first Online MDB, just like the past 17 MDB’s, made a strong, positive impact on the relationship between the mother and daughter participants.
The environment and the setting may be different, but the purpose and the outcome remain the same. Either on the sprawling physical grounds of AA or in the virtual space of the AA Tree Program, the commitment to help strengthen mother-daughter bonds continues.