Parental education: the art of being a parent and how we shape a child's development day by day.
I would like to share with you what parental education means to us. These are gatherings in which parents — regardless of their social status or the background they come from — rediscover their worth and their role in raising children. When a parent embraces this role, the impact on a child's development is deep and lasting. Being a parent is an art, but also an ongoing process of learning.
Closer to the heart of my child
In May, we organized a gathering for mothers, in partnership with the Hand of Help Foundation, dedicated to parental education and to supporting mothers in the parent-child relationship. In carrying out this role, mothers need encouragement, support, and parenting advice that helps them navigate the daily challenges.
There are moments in life when you feel that you have stepped into a role you were never fully prepared for. Motherhood is one such moment. If you stop and think about what it means to be a mother, you could speak of a blend of deep joy, restlessness, fulfillment, exhaustion, and a love that cannot be put into words.
No matter how much we read or prepare, the truth is simple: we learn how to become better parents… by living it.
And perhaps that is exactly why every encounter between mothers, every honest conversation, and every moment of reflection becomes so valuable. Because they help us better understand how to build a healthy relationship with our child and how important the calling we have truly is.
The value of a mother in a child's education
Throughout the gathering, the mothers were guided to discover how valuable they are through their uniqueness and through the essential role they play in raising their children. If we stop for a moment and ask ourselves what it means to be a woman, the answers will be different. But one thing remains constant: woman is a bringer of life, and she has an essential role in a child's emotional development.
A woman gives life through birth
Motherhood is one of the deepest human experiences. To bring a child into the world means the beginning of a story in which you become the very first universe of your child and the first guide in their growth and education.
A woman gives life through her words
How many times have we said things "in the heat of the moment" and then regretted them? Our words carry tremendous power. They can build up or they can wound.
Let's think about it together. A child who hears:
- "I am proud of you."
- "I know you can do it."
- "I love how you tried."
…will grow up with confidence in themselves and in their potential.
But a child who constantly hears criticism will learn to doubt themselves. The truth is that our voice becomes, in time, the inner voice of our child.
A woman gives life through her own example
Children do not do what we tell them. Children do what they see. The way we speak, react, love, or face hardship becomes the foundation for our child's upbringing. Our energy, the tone of our voice, and the small gestures shape, in deep ways, how the child will relate to the world.
Our child is like a piece of clay
Regardless of age, when we learn through experience, we take in values much more deeply. So we imagined for a moment that every child is like a piece of clay. This piece of clay, full of potential, stands for the child's development. And we, as parents, have an essential role in shaping it.
Not just through the big things, but most of all through the small ones: a glance, a gesture, a reaction, a hug, a smile, a word of encouragement… All of these contribute to shaping the child's personality.
Children read these things incredibly well. And every "touch" of ours, whether emotional or physical, leaves an imprint on the relationship between parent and child.
It is not perfection, but love that shapes children's lives
There is no perfect mother.
There are mothers who are present.
Mothers who learn.
Mothers who make mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
Mothers who grow… right alongside their children.
In raising children, every day is a new opportunity to build, to repair, and to love more consciously. And perhaps the most important thing we can do is not to have all the answers…
…but to be there.
Present. Authentic. With an open heart.
