Ang Alamat ng Matibay: Teaching a child strength of character and strength of will
I received an email a few days ago regarding the launch of a Filipino-authored book for children entitled, Ang Alamat ng Matibay.
As I read through the email, I realised that the book would be quite a good material for us to use to teach our kids about strength of character and strength of will.
Ang Alamat ng Matibay tells of the adventures of a little girl who conquered her fears and overcame obstacles as she went searching for her lost best friend, her teddy bear, in an enchanted world.
The story also highlights the friendship she forged with a toy thief called Anino (shadow).
Tibay campaign
Ang Alamat ng Matibay is part of BEAR BRAND Powdered Milk Drink’s long-running Tibay campaign which advocates Tibay ng Katawan, Kalooban, at Isipan (Strength of body, will, and mind).
Nestle Philippines believes in the importance of teaching children character and strength of will at a young age to prepare them to face the challenges of life.
As a mom of three boys, I support this advocacy. I believe that many people fail to realise their full potential and achieve certain goals because of discouragement and unnecessary inhibitions. We must teach our children character and the will to face these challenges head on.
The strength of character and the will to do what is right
Just the other day, our 9-year old and I were discussing about how courage is not without the presence of fear; that in fact, there must be fear to be able to choose courage. This was one of our lessons on character.
Young as he is, my son’s idea of fear is embodied in dragons and villains. I explained to him that fear also comes in many forms – the fear of being rejected, the fear of being alone, the fear of losing something he values, the fear of failure, and all other manifestations of fear. But that he must learn not to let these fears cripple him; to take courage to step out of his comfort zones to be able to maximise his talents and skills, and be able to help others.
We also talked about the will to do what is right. In our home, the bible is our moral compass.
I explained to our son that doing what the bible says is right is often unpopular in today’s culture, but that he must learn to stand on his convictions despite possible opposition, or even rejection.
Of course I said all these things in a way that I hope for our child to understand.
Mold the future leaders of the Philippines
BEAR BRAND, in partnership with The Storytelling Project, Klasrum ng Pag-asa, Art Attack, and National Bookstore will donate 10,000 copies of the book to select public schools and partner organizations.
“By providing schools and communities with copies of the book, we hope to foster among school children the importance of strength of character and strength of will, values that they can bring with them as they journey through life,” says Jojo dela Cruz, Nestlé Philippines Business Executive Manager for Dairy, Health and Nutrition Solution.
Written by Paolo Herras and illustrated by Tepai Pascual, Ang Alamat ng Matibay will be available in selected National Bookstores on December 15, 2014. Book price is only Php 198. Grab a copy and take part in raising the future leaders of this country.
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“As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Psalm 127:4.”
9 Comments
Rochelle Rivera
I am also a Mother of 3 boys 🙂
This is an interesting book to read to them. I miss reading books to them every night, ever since I became a working mom I just never really had the time anymore but thanks for sharing this. It is a matter of making priorities and I feel bad for not doing one of the most important moment for my kids and that is READ TO THEM. I think this is a good book to teach them with a story that can conquered their fears and overcame obstacles. Also thanks to Nestle Philippines for believing in the importance of teaching children character and strength of will at a young age to prepare them to face the challenges of life.
Yan
doing the right thing is quite a daily struggle! i admire parents like you who teach their children to uphold what the Bible says at all times. 🙂
thanks for sharing this! >XD i personally know the illustrator, and i’m also part of The Storytelling Project (as an illustrator too!). in fact we’re also launching our own children’s book soon! hehe see you around! God bless!
Jem Alvarado (@esupermommy)
I missed this event. Now I’m reminded to do story telling with my children because we normally watch children stories lately. 🙂
Renz
This is such a nice campaign. My eldest daughter could learn a lot from this book as she is often times very shy and scared.
Rackell Lumberio-Villareal
I want this book. I have a 10 month daughter who loves reading books. I know she cannot understand what I am saying but when she reach the toddler stage (soon), I know she will appreciate it. Cheers to Nestle Philippines for this idea.
tweenselmom
Nice, this seems to be a pretty nice book 🙂 My youngest loves to read and I am encouraging them to read more Filipino books. will check this out.
Arge
I admire Nestle’s advocacy on teaching kids about strength of character. I want to get a copy for nephew and niece since they are at an age where they encounter conflicting values.
Celerhina Aubrey
Nice book. I support Pinoy authors all the way. I am a bookworm and has been patronizing foreign books until I realized that we have a lot of good books here. 🙂 Sana mag-boom to give way to more Pinoy authors.
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen
My daughter will love this book! I’ll be waiting and will definitely head to National Bookstore on the 15th to buy one.