Most families assisted by the Miaoli Family Service Center are single-parent or intergenerational households, where parents not only take on the role of the absent parent but also bear heavy financial burdens. On the eve of Mother’s Day, the center organized parent-child interactive games, allowing disadvantaged families to temporarily set aside their daily worries and enjoy warm, quality time together.
The Miaoli Family Service Center currently supports 777 families, including 100 headed by single fathers and 440 by single mothers. This year, for the first time, it invited single parents and grandparents to join a “Parent-Child Day Trip,” with 78 households and over 240 people participating. Together, they folded paper carnations in a heartwarming scene.
Chen Henghui, who has taken on both parental roles to raise her twin boys alone, doesn’t want her children to lack love and care from one side of the family. She began collecting information on parenting education lectures to learn how to better raise her kids. She said that what her children need most is love and attention, so she has designated every Sunday as “Family Breakfast Day,” temporarily setting work aside to enjoy breakfast with her kids.
The twins just started first grade last year. After researching various options, she decided to enroll them in Danan Elementary School in Dahhu Township, where the small class sizes allow teachers to provide individualized homework guidance and ease the pressure on the children. Shouldering the responsibility of raising two kids alone, the twins yesterday gave her a thoughtful back massage and served her tea, bringing her to tears. “No matter how hard it gets, I’ll raise them to grow up well,” she said.