Child Is The Father Of Man! – OpEd

I’m still not sure if I should raise this subject, but the mother in me is simply doesn’t allow me to hold myself back. For so many years we have encountered stone pelting incidents in valley but witnessing kids of age group 10-12 years resorting to stone pelting is really disheartening and seeing stones in hands of kids rather than books or bat is indeed revolting. Does a child at such a tender age even understand the meaning of word “protest”? Could it that being Gen-next, these kids are actually smart and mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions, or is it that we have as parents, faltered somewhere while guiding them in the right direction.

Whatever maybe the case, but one thing is for sure, which is that children acquiring a violent and destructive mindset is liable to result in total destruction and irreparable psychological damage of a whole generation. Right now, it we may overlook this disturbing trend as a juvenile and harmless act in the belief that our children will themselves discard this habit as they grow up. However, violence is a persistent trait which one acquired cannot be shed easily and its far-reaching impact on the thought process of a child is beyond our imagination.

We all recall how our parents used to reprimand us even when we unintentionally uttered an invective in a fit of anger with such firmness that we never even dared to repeat it ever again. But today it seems either the parents are looking the other way while their children are resorting to acts of violence or that they have no time or inclination to curb the wrongdoings of their children.

If it is the former, then we can just feel sorry and pray for the wellbeing of such children as their parents have no time for fulfilling their moral duty of good parenting. But if it is the latter, then still there’s a chance, there’s hope that after seeing how children are being sucked into the vortex of violence, they would start paying more attention to what their children are doing. To my mind this is an issue that needs to be addressed and remedied by our society and there’s no point in dragging in the government or administration into this.

As a mother who left no stone unturned to give birth to a new life, I can’t even imagine my child pelting stones even under provocation or in retaliation. Undoubtedly, his choices in life matters most and he is free to express his willingness or unwillingness, his likes or dislikes, but the issue in consideration should pertain to his age or his mental level. If one fine day he suddenly comes up with an idea to revolt against the American President, then his harbouring such a thought needs proper attention and redressal from our side because it’s his tender age and immature mind that is trying to peregrinate in some unwarranted territory.

And if we as parents ignore such symptoms or fail to help our offsprings in developing a healthy mindset, then we would definitely fail in our duties towards our children. Such neglect from our side would push our children into a state of despair or self-destruction and by the time we would realise our folly, it would be too late to act or react. And I firmly believe that there’s not even a single parent on earth who would ever desire to ruin the life of the child whom they have brought into this world.

Even schools have a very important role to play in this regard. It’s quite common amongst children to look upon their teachers as role models in life. For them the words of teacher are like that of God which can’t be wrong and can’t be questioned. So, if any misdeed of a child, which is not commensurate with the pupil’s age comes in the notice of teachers, then they should also act responsibly and counsel the child. Instead of using harsh methods like scolding or punishment, using open communication approach will successfully resolve many issues in a far more effective and easier manner.

It is to be understood that troubled children showing violent tendencies need help, proper guidance and require to be guided onto the right direction. And as a parent or guardian we need to understand that pelting stones by a child is not a normal phenomenon but a grave behavioural deviation that needs immediate attention. If we really wish to see growth and development of our country, then first of all we need to focus on the growth and development of our future generation. The children of today are the torch bearers of our future and thus their approach towards life should be optimistic and progressive. It is very important to have a healthy and balanced outlook, else the purpose of life would get defeated and thus we all hope that by sincere, concerted and targeted efforts, we would be able to save our children from the cancer of negative emotions.