DELI SERDANG | INDATANEWS.COM - The Deli Serdang Regency Team for the Empowerment and Family Welfare Movement (TP PKK) welcomed a parenting seminar initiated by the Deli Serdang Regency Women's Organizations Association (GOW). Held under the theme "Healthy, Happy and Prosperous Families," the event was aimed at parents and called for stronger efforts in parenting, nutritional support, education and character building for children.
The seminar was held on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at the Cendana Hall on the first floor of the Deli Serdang Regent's Office. The event was attended by PKK cadres, GOW cadres, as well as online motorcycle taxi drivers, known as ojol, together with their spouses.
Deli Serdang TP PKK Chairwoman Jelita Asri Ludin Tambunan personally opened the event. In her address, Jelita emphasized that raising children could not be placed solely on the shoulders of one parent. In her view, fathers and mothers must share responsibility in building a healthy, happy and prosperous family.
"When we talk about parenting, about parents, it means both parents are involved, father and mother. It is about the role of the family in creating a healthy, happy and prosperous family, in line with the vision and mission of Deli Serdang Regency to build a physically and mentally healthy society," she said.
Parenting Is a Shared Responsibility
Jelita explained that the involvement of both parents in raising children is one of the important foundations for a child's development. Fathers and mothers must communicate with each other, provide attention and, at the same time, serve as role models in everyday life.
According to her, the family plays a strategic role in shaping children's habits and character from an early age. Therefore, parents must create an environment that supports children's physical and mental development.
Jelita also stressed that parents should not place the entire responsibility for education and character building on educational institutions. The family remains the first environment in which children learn about values, manners, courtesy and positive behavior.
In addition to parenting, adequate nutritional intake is also an essential component of a healthy family. Jelita reminded parents to pay attention to proper nutrition from pregnancy through the child's early growth and development, often referred to as the "golden phase."
"Mothers and fathers, please provide our children with adequate nutrition. Children's meals do not have to be expensive; they simply need to contain sufficient nutrients. Make use of your home gardens by growing vegetables or raising fish such as catfish, which are easy to maintain. In this way, we can meet our daily nutritional needs while also reducing the impact of price fluctuations in the market," she emphasized.
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN CHILDREN'S UPBRINGING: Deli Serdang TP PKK Chairwoman Jelita Asri Ludin Tambunan emphasizes the importance of shared responsibility between fathers and mothers in raising children, as well as ensuring adequate nutritional intake from pregnancy through the child's growth and development stages. (PHOTO: Edi Saputra)
Make Use of Resources Around the Home
Jelita encouraged families to make use of resources available in their immediate surroundings to meet their need for nutritious food. In her view, families do not have to purchase expensive food to fulfill their children's nutritional requirements.
She said utilizing a home garden could be a simple solution. Residents can grow various vegetables or raise fish that are relatively easy to maintain, including catfish.
The initiative can not only help families obtain nutritious food but also reduce their dependence on fluctuating food prices in the market. By utilizing resources around them, families can independently meet part of their daily food needs.
This message is particularly important because adequate nutrition from pregnancy through the early stages of a child's growth and development is closely linked to the child's health and development. Therefore, Jelita urged fathers and mothers to pay special attention to their children's nutritional needs and ensure that those needs are properly met.
On the occasion, Jelita also reminded participants that family development is not solely associated with physical health. Education and character building must also play an important role for parents as they accompany their children throughout their development.
SUPPORTING QUALITY EDUCATION: Deli Serdang TP PKK Chairwoman Jelita Asri Ludin Tambunan calls on parents to support quality education while instilling positive values, manners and courtesy in their children. (PHOTO: Edi Saputra)
Strengthening Education and Character Building
Jelita encouraged residents to take advantage of the free, quality education program provided by the Deli Serdang Regency Government. She explained that the regional government is promoting a 13-year compulsory education program, which begins at the kindergarten level.
"The Regent and Deputy Regent have emphasized that our children should receive quality education. Previously, compulsory education lasted 12 years, but now it is 13 years. Early childhood education for children aged five to six is included in compulsory education. Let us support our children in going to school while also teaching them positive values, manners and courtesy, so that they will later be well accepted by society," she added.
She believes formal education must go hand in hand with character building within the family. Parents need to accompany their children so that they not only acquire academic knowledge but also develop good attitudes and appropriate behavior when interacting with others in society.
Jelita also urged parents to pay close attention to their children's development amid the rapid flow of information. Easy access to social media allows both children and adults to receive a wide range of information within a short period.
Therefore, she appealed to parents to be wise when dealing with information from social media. Parents should carefully filter information and avoid blindly following or sharing content that could have a negative impact on their families or children.
The parenting seminar organized by the Deli Serdang Regency GOW aims to strengthen families' understanding of the importance of shared parenting, adequate nutritional intake, quality education and character building. Through the involvement of both fathers and mothers, the family can become a central environment where children grow up healthy and happy, receive a good education, and develop manners and positive character. (IDNC)
REPORTER:
Edi Saputra | EDITOR:
Fik Sagala