May 27th marks the United Nation’s Children’s Day – a day widely recognized in countries worldwide to promote the welfare of children and to celebrate childhood. It was established in 1925 at the World Conference for the Well-Being of Children held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Children are a pure and undefiled gift from God, and as grown ups, we have the job of nurturing our kids to be strong and well.
In the world today, millions of children live without the things we may take for granted, such as the chance to play. Many of these children collect water, work in the field or lack access to proper education, healthcare and adequate nutrition. As a result of poverty, they have few opportunities for recreation and relaxation. International Children’s Day is a completely unknown term to them.
As parents and caregivers, we are doing the most important job here. It’s rewarding, but sometimes it’s tough. As a parent this means making sure your kids have the things they need, also learn to be you, this is because part of being a good parent is taking care of yourself so that you can be there for them. It’s good to take time out to be you. If you’re a dad, there’s so much you can do to make your child feel loved. This job never came with a manual and knowing some tricks of the trade can make life a whole lot easier.
We all have a role to play in treasuring our children. No one needs to do the big job of being a parent by themselves. Friends and family is the best people to lend a helping hand.
• Be there, Sometimes a listening ear and some practical help is the best kind of support.
• Give praise and encouragement and reprimand when necessary
Here are some of the testimonies given by kids and other adults:
“Honestly, the best thing for me was one time I was so stressed out, and my mum said to me, ‘You’re doing a great job, you’re a great mum.
“As parents we all have different needs. My friend down the road is a single mum, so we have her boy over every Wednesday, just to give her some time out. But she helps us out by looking after my girl when we’re working.”
Bringing up the child is no long a job simply for the parents because in Nigeria today, we have a lot of factors militating against the well being of the child, taking a survey we see that for the average Nigerian child, the future is quite bleak. There is poor access to quality education. Most public primary school buildings in the country are dilapidated. Some children in the country learn under trees and in classrooms that are not conducive to teaching and learning. The primary school system is dominated by unsuitably qualified manpower. Education at this level has been neglected and compromised by government’s non-commitment to its funding. Meanwhile, the basic education offered at this level is most vital to the child’s future development.
Nigeria has a high number of out-of-school children. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) statistics show that 10.5 million Nigerian children are out-of-school. There is high level of child trafficking and child labour, especially in urban areas. Children are taken from rural areas for domestic work in urban centres. Some are forced to live in the streets, hawking goods on city highways. Teenage pregnancy is on the increase. Abuse of children in different forms is rising on a daily basis.
The family, which is the first agent of socialization for children, is wanting in inculcation of cultural and social values in them. Many girl-children are victims of incest, rape and other untoward behaviour, even from close family members. We call on parents to inculcate moral values in their children. Faith-based organisations should contribute to the moral upbringing of children. Let parents also spend valuable time with their children and attend to their problems.
We call on the various state governments that have not signed the Child Rights Act into law in their domain to do so. Those that already have the law in place should faithfully implement it. Parents should start respecting the rights of their children and wards. Children, nowadays, should be seen and heard as well. Since they are the future of any society, all segments of the society must cooperate on their training. All tiers of government in the country should show interest in things that concern children and their future. The type of children we produce today will determine the Nigeria of tomorrow. The education, health and overall development of the child should be a top priority of every government. Government should ensure that every Nigerian child is given quality education from primary school to the tertiary level. If a good foundation is given to the child at primary level, it is not in doubt that he will do well at other levels of education.
Let government give every Nigerian child the right to good education, health care and all other rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Government should stop playing lip service to issues that concern children. Happy Children’s Day “Nigeria”
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