Father and Son Activities
In Westbridge, parents are considered primary educators of their sons. It is the noble task of parenting. The school upholds the philosophy that for education to succeed, collaboration between home and school is essential. This partnership is highlighted in the unified effort of the parents and the teachers in forming the young boys to become mature, responsible gentlemen.
Westbridge educates non scholae, sed viate, not for school but for life. What it takes goes beyond knowledge. It goes beyond skills. It goes to the deepest recesses of the mind and heart: to attitudes and dispositions.
What do we do in the camp-out?
In our camp-outs, we provide an avenue for learning how to waste time with our family. We facilitate an atmosphere of free-communication among fathers and sons. Sleeping accommodations were as austere as intended, and what better way to give the sons a realistic benchmark by which to appreciate the comforts and security that the dads often take for granted? We are sure the dads often take for granted? We are sure the dads that traded minor campsite discomforts for the once-a-year chance to bond have discovered five-star accommodations in their son‘s hearts. We ask the blessings and graces of God for our families. We go beyond knowledge. We go beyond skills. We got o the deepest recesses of the mind and heart: to attitudes and dispositions.
Dad’s Point of View
In a letter dated August 20, 2003, Westbridge’s Head Parent Coordinator Gilly Dulalia, whose sone was in third year high school then, wrote the following to the parents:
The harder some things get, the easier they become. Last weekend we had our annual camping trip. This was the sixth in my career as a Westbridge dad, and to be honest, I was feeling a bit burnt-out about it and even gave half a mind to one dad’s suggestion to let the moms take over the next time.The Father and Son Camp-out
Corny, isn’t it?
Many people think so.
In fact, only Westbridge from among the PAREF Schools the Father and Son Activities for elementary students only. For high school, they say, Father and Son bonding is quite a passé. They seem to contradict the developmental needs of adolescents. But does it?
Our Westbridge Father and Son Activity provides and facilitates “father and son” proactive personal communication in building solid foundation of wholeness and holiness away from the accoutrements of daily living. It is aimed to establish a bond that respects individuality and communes each into a strong foundation of family life. After all, the best form of family time is wasting time TOGETHER.
The principle of wasting time yields to an “openness” that is free from pressures of any form. The fathers and the sons share their views on practically anything that may come in. They may talk about
The principle of wasting time yields to an “openness” that is free from pressures of any form. The fathers and the sons share their views on practically anything that may come in. They may talk about life, women, love, sex, friends, grades, joys, laughters, problems, setbacks, etc. These topics which are sometimes delicate, necessitate a father who is a model for his son.
After all, the boys were at the stage where they go off on their own, right? They’d probably be spending the whole weekend bonding with their peers and avoiding the dads, right? Besides, I’d lain some darn good groundwork during the early “formative years” so this trip would be more trouble than it was worth, right.
Wrong! As I discovered, it’s precisely during this time that you begin to see the end of the path you started with your son(s) at the beginning of the Westbridge tour-of-duty. The activities, the chats, the bonding with them at earlier trips begin to come together during this most crucial time when their world fills with all-consuming emotions like independence and privacy, sex, love, and all sorts of confusing thoughts. It may get harder to go camping, but it is definitely gets easier to reconfirm a relationship that gets so stressed at this age.
Son’s Point of View
The father and son camping is one of the greatest highlights in my life. It made me closer and more open with my dad. We had lots of fun in this camping…. My dad seldom goes out of town. This is one of those that made him do it. - Jose Ena Uy, 4th year
The father and son camping promotes trust between the father and son. This is a moment of history that can be treasured forever. In my four years at Westbridge, I always looked forward to this moment when once again my dad can listen to my anxieties in the rapidly changing situations. - Loubert Bartolome, 4th year
Our father and son camping is an enriching activity to prepare us for college. This year’s activity etched the reflection that eventually in college my dad and I would be physically apart, yet I know we are always united in the beating of our hearts. - Paul Dominic Dulalia, 4th Year
Getting to know more of my dad and knowing how he valued me uniquely from my other brothers are lessons of our father and son activities…
-Joemarie Yao II, 4th Year