emerging child

The Emerging CHILD

In the last two weeks our railway rescue booth rescued over 20 children. Most of them ran away from school or from children’s homes in groups. The reasons that they ran away could be considered silly for adults. One group ran away from school because parents were called in for small mischief done by the children. Children did not want the parents to know and hence they ran away. Another group who ran away from a children’s home was due to the fact that the wardens got angry with them for misbehaving.

Children are increasingly becoming unable to face even small tensions that are part of life of every person. Most of these children have been between the age of 10 and fourteen. If they had left the state of Kerala before being rescued, it could have been very difficult to trace them and also they would have been prone to danger of trafficking or exploitation. It was just three weeks back that three girls who left home committed suicide apparently due to the inability to face the embarrassment on returning home.

What is happening to our children? Why are they so intolerant to small criticisms and corrections? Why they are unable to face even small challenges in life?

I think there is a great need to change the parenting style. Parenting is probably the only job which doesnot require any training!  The current micro families are financially well off and their only child or just two always never face a denial in their early life! When small, desires are small but as the child grows older desires too grow and reach a stage where parents find it impossible to fulfil. This leads to a wrong understanding that the parents don’t love them. This is one of the root causes of such problems among children. It is of utmost importance to bring up children with ability to face difficulties and denials as no person can have everything he/she wishes for.

The uncontrolled exposure to media by children is another factor to be worried. As parents are too busy fending for their children they are often not cared for and internet, Television and Video games become the only friends for children at home. The gruesome exposure to such media makes children to be completely alien to realities of life and create a wide gap between parents and children. Uncontrolled information without sorting or guidance turns out to be disastrous blend by the time children become teens. Parents start caring for children only when their teens are ‘problems’ to deal with. At this time only ‘repair’ is possible as a character has already been built.

Schools needs to become places where children are provided wholesome education catering to all aspects and not only the intellect as it is happening now. Our systems are far behind in coping with the surging growth needs of our children which includes also parenting.