Mother-Daughter-Brunch: The first Lady Grey Arts Academy Mother-Daughter-Brunch, for grade R-6 mothers and daughters, was a huge success. The theme for the occasion was “Mother and Mini Me” and the mothers and daughters came dressed in matching outfits. They looked stunning and it definitely contributed to the wonderful atmosphere. We started the morning with a special message from Mrs Prinsloo, our principal, and the mothers were then entertained by their daughters performing drama pieces and dance and singing items. The art, done by the primary school girls, was also displayed in the hall and foyer for the mothers to admire.

Our guest speaker was Mrs. Valmae Pretorius. She is an occupational therapist from Barkly East. She spoke to the mothers about how our children react similar to us in situations where they feel frustrated or stressed. As grownups we sometimes expect them to behave and tell them to “stop it”, or even give them a smack when we want them to behave in a certain way, instead of trying to find out why they react the way they do. The way we react to a stressful situation will be the way they react in a similar situation, because they follow our example. Therefor we must practice patience with our children and learn to listen to them when we see they are stressed or frustrated. Not an easy task, but not impossible.

Mrs. Pretorius also emphasized that it is very important to build a relationship with your children by spending quality time with them. Even though we are all very busy parents have to make time to do things with their children for example, singing, reading, sport, cooking, practicing a hobby together, etc. This quality time must be cell phone, TV and computer free. A good relationship with your child will give them a firm foundation to deal with the tough times in their lives.

Mothers and daughters were then treated to a brunch and had the opportunity to take photos with their daughters in the photo booth. We hope that this will be the first of many such wonderful events at the school. Thank you to all the staff for their hard work and dedication. It is highly appreciated.