Celebrating Children’s Day …

Speaking as a woman and a mother I cannot exclude myself from the faults we women have towards bringing up our children, but then we have to make a living to keep body and soul together and to be able to give our kids the best in life. In doing so, we have to thread with caution as not to totally neglect the needs of our children as they need us to be their role models and pillar in life.

May 27 is Children’s Day is day is a day that is normally celebrated all over the world, but have we ever sat down to reflect on the essence of celebrating Children’s Day. It is not about just taking the children to the park and letting them have a fun-filled time, it is much more than just having fun but building a solid foundation in their lives. Womanhood sought the opinion of mothers felt about giving the solid foundation of life for their kids.

“Children deserve the right to be happy and cherished, if kids cannot find comfort and love in their homes, where else are they expected to get it, from the streets? Well if they get it from the streets, we already know the kind of life they would be having in future. Children are our pride, so I think mothers should make sure that the best is given to these kids as a man would always be a man and at the long run leave the kids at the mercy of the mother for her to take care of. Anybody can say all they want to say, but it is a proven fact that the mother bears the burden of taking care of the kids at the long run,” said Olubummi H. Thomas.

Another mother who simply gave her name as Hajiy Larai who though has a different opinion, said a child needs both parents to be able to have a solid foundation, but the mother plays more role in moulding the child or what he is to be in future. “The greatest and important gift a parent can give their child is the gift of time, when a child spends more time with the parents, it is hard for that child to inculcate any bad habit unless the parents are bad people right from the word go. For me, time is the greatest gift I will always make available to my child as they need and deserve it and it is only we the mothers that can give that quality time and love, all others are just by the way,” she said.

“Giving the right encouragement and showing good example is what I feel is important in training a child, one does not need to shout off her head to make the child understand; remember the old saying which says ‘action speaks louder than voice’. Our children watch our every move and action, and if we show them that the attaining of worldly things is the ultimate, so will they grow up to be full of vanity,” said Madam Abey Onyi.  

For Hajara Muktar, education is the main point for any child. “Giving your child the best possible educational foundation is the best any parent can do because it is the solid foundation of life for that child, if I can give my child the best of education, only then can I start celebrating because I know I have a laid a solid foundation for that child. But to be honest with you, when I go out and see children hawking and doing other menial jobs, I feel sorry for them and just conclude that the Nigerian government still celebrates Children’s Day when we have thousands of them doing things that are not meant for them. It is a very pathetic situation as we also claim that we have a Universal Basic Education in place for such kids, so what do they have to show for this because as for me I do not see the impact.”

With these few opinions we hope that mothers will take a cue and put in more efforts to giving a solid foundation to the child. We might not see the influence we have on our children now, but it will surely manifest in future.

Train a child in a way he should go and when he is old, he will never depart from it.