I GIVE THANKS FOR CHILDREN
I have worked with children for many years and have children
and grandchildren who bring joy into my life. We have heard the expression,
‘the children are our future,’ on so many occasions but really we also need to
appreciate that children are very much our here and now. Children make up a
huge percentage of the world’s population- however in America the 2011 census
showed that the percentage of children to adults has fallen from 31% in 1950,
risen considerably to over 50% and then fallen to 23.75% in 2011. Of course
there could be many reasons for the decline including improved birth control
however let’s not speculate.
In general, children are a great blessing to their families
and friends and where they are mistreated the child is still a beautiful,
unique individual in a cruel situation. There is an innocence about children
which captivates us. Life experience causes adults to become cynical and
reluctant to trust one another whereas small children have total faith in their
parents’ opinions and judgements- to them, mum knows best!
Children’s naivety is one of the key things that we often
find amusing. They have an interesting way of looking at life and interpreting
the unknown. Children will usually hazard a guess when questioned, something
many adults cease to do for fear of appearing ignorant or even foolish. When we
laugh at their guesses or expressions it is important not to belittle the
child, but to show appreciation for them. We want children to keep their minds
and imagination sharp as this will enhance their creative thinking. Over recent
years we have come to realise how we shape our children’s natural development
and some natural aspects, particularly creative thinking, are lost in the
process.
A general adult perception is that we teach our children
Correct over all however this can result in us overlooking the lessons we can learn
from them. One of the greatest lessons we could zoom in on is the ability to
live in the moment. Children only really understand the here and now. They
enjoy what they are doing and don’t worry about later or tomorrow. Yes they are
self-centred, becoming angry when they can’t have what they want and needing
guidance to cope with their feelings- isn’t that true of many adults! We should
be self centred at times but in the right way and acknowledge the need to
release stress and worry. Most of our worries are about tomorrow yet the future
can change instantly in unpredictable ways, so all that time worrying could
have been spent enjoying our day.
We encourage children to question yet quite often we accept
what we are told, even though we know you can’t always believe what you read. Questioning allows children to problem solve
and draw their own conclusions. Religion is one of the major areas that
families expect their children to simply accept therefore it is very important
to appreciate the individuality of our children and respect the person they
are. If we do this it becomes easier to accept their personal decisions if they
go against our opinions or way of life.
Children’s laughter is highly infectious and can easily put
a smile on our faces. Many are naturally joyous and full of wonderment.
Sometimes it does us good to look at our surroundings as if seeing them for the
first time. Imagine how an armchair must look to a baby who can barely crawl?
What do we expect of our children and do we sometimes forget that they are not
mini adults? There is no such thing as a perfect adult so although we encourage
good standards of behaviour in our children they will have ‘off days.’
Let’s just appreciate childhood while it lasts. You can
never wind back the clock so we just need to love each moment as it comes.
Jaz Mckenzie
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