Deputy CEO, Transformation & Growth, Mandai Wildlife Group, Ms Belina Lee;
Mr Ishak Ismail, Families for Life Council Chairman;
Dear grandparents, parents and precious little ones,
A very good afternoon to everyone here! It warms my heart to see your bright smiles on this beautiful day. Happy to welcome every one of you to Families for Life (FFL)’s Family Day Out with Grands at the Bird Paradise!
Ladies and gentlemen, our grandparents play an important part role in our lives. Spending time with them and other elderly members of the family helps us learn important family values such as love, care and concern, commitment and respect. Our grandparents are always one of our greatest and strongest supporters of our lives, guiding us through different phases of our lives and sharing their life experiences with us. We must honour our grandparents and strengthen our ties with them always. I remember growing up too with my grandparents, anf they are cherished moments. Now ladies and gentleman, we need to:
- Grow inter-generational bonds by setting aside and spending quality time, just as we do for our parents, we need to do so for our grandparents
- Regular and open communication despite our busy schedules
- Appreciate our grandparents even in little ways
- Needs and wishes of our grandparents to hear them out
- Devote time to care for their well-being as they age in life and may need additional support from the family. Even as we live with them, we must not ever let them feel lonely. So let’s spend time listening and talking to them, and make them feel part of the family, as they should.
Today, Families for Life has partnered Mandai Bird Paradise to bring you many meaningful and fun activities to enjoy as a family. I hope that this encourages you to learn about wildlife as you connect with your families so that we can be strong and resilient. There are many programmes that FFL has laid out for you online as well as programmes offline. It’s never too late to learn something new. As parents, you know it’s different taking care of your children as babies, teenagers, and later as they grow up and get married.
Thank you for joining us today and may today’s Family Day Out with Grands be a celebration of enduring bonds across generations.