Last weekend, the Large Family Congress was held in San Sebastian. On Saturday morning, the Kursaal welcomed more than 200 families from all over the country. The event began with an emotional speech by the president of the Federation of Large Families, José Manuel Trigo, who gave the perfect starting signal for this congress. His speech touched all the parents of large families closely, because when listening to him, it was clear that he knew what he was saying, the one who was speaking was not a politician or a manager, but the father of 10 children. For years, together with his wife Clara, José Manuel has welcomed babies in need into his home, providing them with an environment full of love and care.
In his speech, Trigo invited us to reflect on how large families naturally teach us to overcome individual interests in favour of the collective good. He reminded us of our mission: to ensure that society recognises large families as the true treasure that they are. He also encouraged us to transmit to the new generations the value and beauty of this family model.
The José Ramón Losana Large Family Awards were presented in four categories during the event. The award for public initiative was given to Basque Tour; the award for communication was given to Santiago Segura for his family film series Padre no hay más que uno; the recognition for the public entity went to PuyDuFou; and the individual recognition went to Carlos Arguiñano.
The congress also included a talk by Marc Masip, who gave a talk on the “heroine of the 21st century”: technology. Masip sent a clear message to parents, reminding them that being “the parent of a child with screens” is easy, but being the parent of a sick child is really difficult. Masip also led a special session for the young people of these large families.
The event was closed by Catherine L’Ecuyer, who offered a profound reflection on the importance of attention and contact with reality in child development. She explained that children only pay true attention when they physically interact with the world around them and stressed the need to encourage internal stimulation that allows for sustained concentration, rather than constant external overstimulation. L’Ecuyer pointed out how, in schools, parents are advised to choose shoes with Velcro instead of laces, as they do not have enough time to teach children how to tie their shoes. However, children practice fine motor skills in front of screens, exposed to content previously selected by publishers.
L’Ecuyer concluded by reminding us that it is not necessary to make things easy, but to make them beautiful.
At the end of this congress, I reaffirm that I am where I have always wanted to be: in a castle of lost socks, in a house that is not impeccable and in a family that is not perfect, but in which we all feel loved being as we are, and with a daughter who prefers to arrive with fewer trips, fewer branded shoes, fewer mobile phones…, but to arrive together.
At the next Congress of Large Families, although we still do not know in which city it will be held, we will meet again as the happy and bustling family that makes up the Spanish Federation of Large Families. Why not?
