In today’s busy society, families struggle to find contentment with so many issues to face and resolve, the key ones being to understand each other better and raising children effectively. Few can perfect the skills or ‘know-how’ of developing a good mutual relationship or parenting. Family Seminars were organized at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Edison on August 9 and 10, 2011. Themed “Nurturing Happy Families”, the seminar aimed to educate both adults and children to better understand each other and learn to develop a stronger mutual bond.
Topics covered in the sessions included understanding each other, financial and social media and technology guidance, roles and rules of family members, and habits of happy families. In two sessions, the individual family members got together for a challenging and thrilling project of building Akshardham and to develop a family tree and family timeline. There was a panel discussion on Ghar sabha. The event lasted all day which also included guidance from Sadguru Pujya Mahant Swami.
In some of the sessions, the young children, teenagers, youths and adults were split into separate classrooms and guided according to their age level and responsibility in the family. Speeches and presentations, games, role plays and interviews were used to pass on various messages.
Adults and children found that the entire day went by quickly and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. After the event, everyone felt inspired to become closer, understand each other and to deal with family problems in an effective way.