A Tie That Binds

A tie that binds

by Glenda B. Gutierrez

I am Rosaly Balleno, 34 years old and a resident of “Happyland” in Barangay 105, Tondo, Manila. I have three children. The eldest is a 14-year-old boy who is in Grade 8. The second is in Grade 5, and the youngest is eleven months old.

I am Visayan, or “Bisdak,” from Baybay, Leyte. I am proud of it because Visayans are known to be kind and hospitable.

My husband is a stevedore while I work at home. I am one of the core group leaders and a member of the Livelihood Project of Kapatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation Inc. (KKFI) in Tondo.

My family is happy. Why do I say we are happy? Because my relatives and my husband’s relatives get along well.

Yes, there are some disagreements, but they are quickly resolved, and we reconcile immediately.

I have attended several meetings of the Family Development Sessions (FDS) and I learned a lot from it. I liked most the “Parent-Child Relationship” and “Violence Against Children and Youth” sessions.

My children also love the FDS.

Before, they would go out of the house when we have FDS meetings, but now they would attend and we do the “ice breakers” as a family.

I love watching them try to guess the answers during the “ice breaker” games like “Name it to Win it.”

Indeed, our family became closer because of the FDS. I always explain to my children what I have learned in the FDS.

There are many challenges in the family that we have hurdled with the help of God.

I remember what Ma’am Nora Guevarra, KKFI program director, said: “When you are burdened and you think you cannot manage, sit down and talk to God. Offer your problems to Him.”

This is what I do when I am overwhelmed with problems. I talk to God and give him all my worries.

Thank you KKFI for the online FDS sessions. It has become a tie that binds many families, like mine, together.