Family Day Speech

Delivered by: Ma. Murtle Ellah R. Vaquilar, Grade VI

Saint Teresita’s Academy, Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines
Prepared by: Arlene Linsangan-Tabaquero

The family as always been defined in books refers to a group of people who are primarily
related by descent and living together and functioning as a single household. It usually
consists of parents and their children. In social context, it is marked as the basic unit of
the society. It is in this social nuclear cohesion that we feel the warmth of being loved, of
belonging to the group and being nurtured by it – where our attitudes are mannered,
values are sculptured, perceptions in life are figured out, dreams and ambitions are
formulated and where God’s gift of life to us is being cultivated into its maximum
potential. All of these would not be brought to fruition, unless there are two important
figures in the family who guide us in each phase of our delicate metamorphosis, the
father and the mother.

On this special family day, dear parents, let me express to you the things that we keep in
our hearts, on behalf of my classmates and schoolmates.

To all mothers who are with us today, we salute you for the supreme sacrifice and care
you rendered us. You carried us in your wombs by enduring strain after strain. And
subsequently, at the time of birth, you were suspended between life and death. All these
you faced with determination as much as patience barring any regret or anger. After
delivering us into this world, you looked after us and brought us up with endearing love
and affection, with all sincerity, regardless of the strain and travail that accompanied such
a task. You were often forced to go without sufficient sleep, sacrificing and forgoing
much-needed rest. When we grew up into school children, you became far busier with
cooking and doing the daily household chores without stopping to rest. Without doubt,
you sacrificed a lot. But strangely enough, in reality, you were always happy and
energetic. Because of your love for us, it seems that you don’t feel the exhaustion that
naturally comes with such work, because it gladdens your heart to serve our needs.

To all fathers who are here, your sacrifice is just as big. You provide almost all the needs
in the family: food, clothing, shelter, education, health and other necessities for the
family. Every day, without wasting time, your primary aim is to earn and to provide, be it
by using your mental faculties, or through physical labor such as working under the
scorching heat of the sun, or endangering your life by going out in the stormy weather.
You go through all these with perseverance and determination, solely for the purpose of
providing the needs of the family.

Classmates and schoolmates, our parents harbor hopes for us. They take strength in the
idea that all of us will succeed in becoming useful citizens, children who are pious,
children who are devoted and respectful to them and to other people, children who obey
God, and who will give pride to the family, society and country as well. Because of these
high aspirations, they are always happy and high in spirits; never tired and exhausted. In
spite of heavy work load, they never sigh and complain, but ever grateful. They procure
comfort in securing that our future will be a happy and successful one. Their expectations
for us are towering. And it would make them extremely happy if their hopes become
reality - that we are doing so well in our studies, having good and praise-worthy manners.

Let us not also forget that our dear Saint Teresita’s Academy is an extension of our core
families where our teachers act as our parents. Our teachers continue the responsibilities
of our parents in letting us feel a relationship conceived by love and affection, service and
gratitude, giving and receiving, respect and understanding, learning and helping, sharing
and feeling, trusting and confiding. They give us moral support in times of challenge,
reassurance in times of doubt, holding our hands in the face of uncertainty, consoling us
in the face of difficulty. Our dear teachers are indeed doing such an extraordinary and
noble task of being our second parents.

To our parents and teachers, it is our duty to fulfill the desires and hopes you have for us.
We may not be able to achieve things at the greatest heights but at least we will take
flight in trying to meet your expectations. For sure we will meet failures along the way,
but knowing that you are the wind beneath our wings, and with God’s grace, we will take
the initiative to soar high.

A pleasant morning to all of us!