A child’s face is always worthy of love – actually, everything a child is deserves unconditional love.
The eyes could be shy and sad, casting a where’s-the-floor fugitive gaze and a mopish streak. He could be exceedingly polite, exhibiting a youthful earnestness and a wish to be always pleasant—never making a fuss and always went for his afternoon naps like an obedient Labrador.
Or he could be a crackling wire of energy and be generous with shrieks capable of puncturing eardrums. His stomach always starves for food, which, if left unchecked, can amount to a humongous poundage.
But a child’s upbringing is never a constant round of pleasure and amusement. It is not an anything-you-do-is-all-right-with-us-dear school of licking them into fine shapes.
Children are empty receptacles that are easily filled up with spite or humaneness. It’s a desirably happy chance should a child not have particularly abusive parents or not be physically and emotionally pained by an alcohol-fogged father.
At middle childhood, an average kid will have spent more than five hours in front of a television, coming into their head good and bad content which can affect their values. Apropos to this, exposure to social media should not be discounted either.
By the time they reach the age of 18, they have absorbed most of the growing pains and gone through most of a teenager’s emotional crossroads, have been conditioned enough to be able to conform to society’s norms, and have, more or less, grappled with having to avoid wasting their enormous potential.
Children are our bridge to the future. They have to be raised well so that when they leave the family they are assured of a better quality of life. Sending them to school is of top priority. Books and learning materials should be adequately provided.
Children’s welfare is a concern worldwide. The National Children’s Month, conceived in November 1989, focuses on raising awareness of children’s rights. It likewise aims to further the ways we can do to help the children develop and reach their full capabilities.
A broadened emphasis on strengthening a child’s positive upgrowth during the present pandemic and an accompanying sense of insecurity is this year’s salient point of activities.
COVID-19 has enormously challenged the environments where children can develop. Confined at home, they are exposed to distressed times within the family. Unable to enjoy past associations with friends, they spend more hours online or play electronic games.
Unborn children, likewise, have primary rights. They need a safe environment within which they can survive – medical attention and care during the mother’s pregnancy, after birth, and throughout childhood. A child’s basic needs such as balanced diet; clothing; decent shelter where they can feel safe and spared from violence, neglect, and abuse; healthcare; and protection from dangers, accidents, and elder abuse should be met.
And most fundamentally, a child should be able to play and enjoy their youth – and that may include participating in their favorite sports wearing a backward baseball cap.
Beneath the cotton-candy surface of childhood, when most things are sweet and adorable, there are realities that need to be addressed. As layers of innocence peel away, their survival can be painful and their lives harshly compromised.