Vaslui Prison — 11 October 2025. The sports hall of the Vaslui Sports High School filled with quick footsteps and unspoken emotions. For a few hours, the space became a place where children and their detained parents reconnected through the simplest shared language: play.
The children arrived first. They sat quietly along the benches, holding their emotions in check and looking toward the door. Some clutched their backpacks tighter, others began whispering to each other. Then, the door opened and the parents entered. Within seconds, silence turned into smiles, hurried steps and long-awaited embraces.
“I’ve waited a long time for this day. When I saw him coming toward me, nothing else mattered.”
— a participating parent
The program began with a coordination game — passing the ball between cones, in parent–child teams. The first clumsy moves brought bursts of laughter. What followed was a series of activities focused on movement and cooperation: bolas games, frisbee throws, and carrying the ball between cones from one end of the hall to the other.
“At first, they were tense. After ten minutes, they were laughing out loud. It made such a difference that they worked together as a team.” — AAS organiser
Children naturally took on the role of “coaches” for their parents — showing them the route, correcting hand positions, setting the rhythm. Parents listened carefully, trying again, this time with more attention and closeness.
“She explained to me how to hold the frisbee. It was the other way around this time — I was the one learning from him.” — participating parent
As the games went on, invisible barriers began to fade. Short bursts of applause, friendly jokes and cheers followed each success. It was no longer about points or competition — it was about doing things together.
“It doesn’t matter who wins. For them, the real victory is simply being next to each other.” — a prison officer
During the breaks, the benches along the walls became spaces for simple conversations — about school, friends, and small plans for “next time.” What began in whispers turned into confident voices and warm smiles as the day went on.
“I haven’t laughed with him like this in a long time. I realised how much I’ve missed it.”
— a participating parent
When the activities ended, the hall fell into a meaningful silence once again. Longer hugs, team-like high fives, one last wave goodbye. The children lingered for a few seconds before leaving, glancing back toward their parents. The fathers remained still for a moment, wearing expressions that blended gratitude with hope.
“For a few hours, they weren’t imprisoned people and visitors. They were parents and children.” — AAS organizer
The Vaslui edition of Game with Mum & Dad brought together 47 participants, including 21 children, alongside the penitentiary staff and the AAS team. Through simple games and time shared together, distance turned into closeness, and for a brief moment, the sports hall became a place of normality.
“It was a simple day, but with a deep impact. You could see them, step by step, finding each other again.” — prison officer
In Romania, GWMD is organised by Alternative Sociale, an organisation part of the COPE Network and who has been working since 1997 to raise awareness on issues resulting from the interaction of children with the justice system, either as victims, perpetrators or from having imprisoned parents. Alternative Sociale contributed to the improvement of the conditions for hearing children in police stations, prosecutor’s offices and courts of law, and also in prison visiting rooms, to be friendlier for children visiting their parents.
Livia Roșca from Alternative Sociale contributed to this article.
