Article by Camille Dominique Javier

I was lucky enough to attend a fun and insightful talk by father-daughter tandem Anthony and Hannah Pangilinan at Raising Gen Z. Hannah, a popular Filipino Youtuber, is not only a web celebrity and accomplished triathlete, but also a loving daughter who values her family relationships. The Pangilinan family is known to have a strong family dynamic founded on team work and collaboration.

In their talk entitled “Real Life With a Zentennial: Creating an Environment of Empowerment”, the pair discussed 5 tips every (zentennial) parent can and must do to build a closely-knit, healthy, and loving family relationship:

5 Tips on How to Build a Fun Family Dynamic

5. Get connected offline.

Anthony Pangilinan acknowledges that kids nowadays are highly dependent on technology; every parent can’t resist getting their kid a phone, whether it be to give the kids a distraction whenever necessary, but also contact them faster and more efficiently. Especially in this day and age, both parent and child have their own Facebook accounts, making it harder for kids to hide things they do and say online and easier for parents to access their information.

The boundaries of privacy tend to be blurred or blown out of proportion in the online world, thus Anthony suggests that despite these technological stepping stones, parents ought to resist taking advantage of social media and get to know their kids the old-fashioned way: by spending time offline, sitting down with them, and getting to know who they really are.

4. Be open-minded.

With the influx of technological advancements comes change in the development and behavior of kids born in this generation. Both Hannah and Anthony agree that this generation is more empowered than ever, speaking out their mind on social media and advocating a multitude of causes. While this can be overwhelming, it is important that parents and kids both learn from each other and bear an open mind. This ensures a more fruitful relationship on both ends.

3. Agree on non-negotiables.

Although it is important to bear an open mind, Anthony also stresses on the importance of establishing values and ground rules at home. Sitting down with your child and discussing what is right and wrong is just as important as setting your own house rules and making sure you enforce them as consistently and justly as possible.

Hannah points out that kids are becoming wittier and smarter faster than before, even in terms of learning how to get away with things, perhaps because of how easily they can learn just about anything through the Internet. It is also important to lay out and stress the details in the rules, so that kids don’t easily find loopholes or reasons to go against rules that parents set.

2. Let God lead.

Anthony shares that God is at the heart of their family’s relationship. We can’t always be in control of our circumstances and sometimes, the best thing to do in times of uncertainty and trouble is to trust in God to see you through. Anthony even shares a few anecdotes of how his family has made it through thick and thin by the grace of God. Moreover, Anthony reminds us that there is no greater or better mentor than God, whom he always seeks advice from even when he is unsure of how to deal with bumps and obstacles with his family or when dealing with difficult decisions.

1. Stay connected on weak signal and low batt.

Similar to the first point, it is important to establish a healthy and strong bond between your child in the midst of technological advancement. There is nothing sadder or more painful to witness than a parent and child bonding online or who are perpetually dependent on their phones despite being a few feet away. According to the Pangilinans, a good parent-child dynamic is one that knows how to act without relying on technology because of the trust the parent has in the child and the child with the parent.

What are some of the tips that you have for a good family dynamic?