To answer the questions so many parents carry with them, the Niéré Centre, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, launched a training initiative three years ago centred on education and family life. After weighing several options, the organisers settled on a formula that let adult formation coexist with the rhythms of the weekend: gathering everything into Sunday mornings, so that the whole family could come.

These "Formation Sundays" open with the celebration of Holy Mass. Afterwards, families sit down to an informal breakfast, each household bringing something to the table. The morning closes with a formation session and a time of conversation for the parents, while the children turn to activities suited to their age: films, games, the small pleasures that fill a Sunday.

A space for conversation and shared experience

Over time, these mornings have settled into a monthly rhythm, carried along by a warm, informal atmosphere. For those who take part, they offer a chance to speak plainly about the everyday texture of family life, and to leave with something practical: small ways of nurturing virtue and good habits at home.

The sessions have taken up questions very much of the moment: "Preparing for the Holidays," "Helping Children Grow into Independence," "The Right Use of Technology." One gathering in particular drew unusual interest and stirred a rich exchange. It was titled "Raising Children in Freedom," and parents spoke at length about how to hold together family authority and a proper respect for children's freedom to choose.

A workshop for parents and children alike

For this year's programme, the organisers wanted something more hands-on. After an opening theoretical session on "Family Games," the centre welcomed, two months later, an interactive workshop that brought parents and children into the same room for the first time.

In the course of that exchange, the youngest spoke without any prompting about what they hoped for (more time for play at home) touching, here and there, on the demands of their parents' work and the small unplanned crises of adult life.

It was transformative. Niéré's study rooms became play spaces built around simple games, easily replicable at home. Through small, friendly contests between parents, children, and different families, the day drew to a close on a warm note. Participants spoke of how much these spaces meant for drawing families closer, and for keeping alive a sense of joy in ordinary days.