Parent joy in Wanganui shared

PERFECT DAY: Children's Day celebrations in full swing.

WELL, Children's Day is over for another year.

I know we have given the kaupapa of the day a bit of an airing in this column during the past few weeks but it is a message we would love to see embedded in the traditions of all families throughout the year as well.

We all understand that experiencing something enables us to learn easier than just hearing about it or reading about it somewhere.

So it is with giving families the opportunities to try activities together, with no cost involved, allowing them to experience what creating memories can look like and showing our children how important they are to us by spending time together.

The kaupapa of "Treasure Our Children" isn't new, nor is it the answer to some of the hard issues faced by parents today.

What we do see consistently though when we offer support, encouragement and opportunities to be with other families, is the ability to level the field and create spaces where everyone is the same, parents are parents regardless of the different circumstances they may be parenting in. When you see families together in one place, there to have fun with the kids and to try everything they possibly can, make things and collect things, it is an atmosphere of joy and being part of that is what gets us up in the morning.

As part of the day we listened to the voices of children and their whanau, hearing about what they enjoy about the day and about living in Wanganui. This year we asked parents to share with us the best thing about being a parent in Wanganui. Here's what some of them said:

The best thing about being a parent in Wanganui "is the joys of laughter and happiest memories. That communities and families get together and support all of our children. Watch them grow into beautiful people".

" Watching our children grow in the same community we did."

" The activities available for families, walking/biking tracks, the safe community environment, the fresh air, the spirit of the people and whanau support."

These stories and others will be displayed in the library during the next couple of weeks. The common theme we noticed through the stories is the availability of parks and other free spaces that families can go to together to have fun, and that they feel Wanganui is the best place to bring up families with the support that the community offers them.

We know from our role supporting organisations working alongside families that their support of families in our community is a high priority and those involved in this work are dedicated to collaboratively providing the best service possible. Children's Day is also about a neutral, non-threatening space for parents and caregivers to meet people from some of those organisations, where conversations can be started and connections made.

Thank you to the organisations that joined us to provide great free activities for children and their families.

Thank you, John and Bevan from the Wanganui Chronicle, for your coverage of the event.

-SKIP Whanganui is a community collaborative that promotes positive parenting. We also have free parenting resources for parents of children 0-5 years and for parents of teens. Contact SKIP Whanganui co-ordinators Liza and Lynette at skipwhanganui@xtra.co.nz or ph/text 027 626 1404.