The new term has started. But it is not just about the achievement of academic brilliance. It is also about picking up an extra dose of humanness, empathy, and compassion to others.
Parents, take note
Children need not just qualified teachers, but also other children from different walks of life to learn crucial life lessons. They say it takes a community to raise a child, and it certainly takes more than school to educate one.
Social consciousness teaches children to respect their others. Erroneous thinking is caused by erroneous perception. But what do parents want to present to their children? That it is a superficial world that we live in? One where cool is dictated by money, wealth, fashion, and the height of one’s heels?
Give guidance to your child
The unmonitored child views violence, hatred and pornography freely on the net. Innocence is lost much too soon.
In neighboring countries blood-splattered children are rushed to the hospitals, and left to die. We see on TV that children in Liberia are orphaned due to the Ebola outbreak. Our world has changed drastically in the last two years.
Ask yourself: Am I becoming more apathetic as a parent?
School teaches our children a lot. But it is truly the duty of every parent to teach his child to forgive, to make peace, to love, to understand, and to tolerate.
The UAE has blessed us with excellent schools. But parents must show restraint and avoid giving their kids unnecessary flashy gifts, such as Iphones, IPads, stone-encrusted phone covers, extravagant watches and fancy cars. Endless desires leads to endless waste on every level: waste of food, waste of clothes and waste of gadgets… Parents should learn to say no to their children.
A village educates.
During a recent visit to Tanzania, I saw a heart-warming sight of little children on the long dusty road off to school. Each one carried a long stick to make a fire to cook his food. Their day began thus. Teachers taught them self-sufficiency. First they would eat, be nourished and with full stomachs tackle the math on the blackboard. The idea of breakfast porridge got them to school!You see dedicated teachers who are paid very low wages trying to eke a meager living, but striving to inspire a new generation.
Then you see rich spoilt kids in other countries, making light of their God-given opportunities. Even the wise King Solomon is said to have made a shipwreck of his life in spite of his wealth.
Simply expect good.
“My dreams are achievable,” said the cheerful Masai teenager, who is a part time drummer and a tourism student learning three languages. Things may work out for him differently. Who knows? And who can predict what’s in store for our own children? Regardless of the outcome we should at least teach our children to have empathy and compassion for others.
By Marien Oomen
