As the saying goes, “Charity begins at home”, so does the child from a
good home have the likelihood of greater opportunities in life. The
home or family is the first point of socialization of the child. The
better he or she is treated at home, the happier and easier life is
for the child.
It is quite worrying the kinds of homes children grow up in these
days. We see a lot of chaos in our society today due to the places we
have allowed children grow up. One key factor is that these places are
mostly not conducive enough to raise children.
House helps in homes:
Most children do not wake up to see their biological parents these
days. These parents have employed house helps who play the parental
roles in the lives of children. Meanwhile, parents spend all the time
at work to the neglect of the well being of their children. In the
end, they pick up negative behaviors such as stealing, disobedience,
fornication, telling lies just to mention but a few. Some even torture
these children through beatings and child labour. This is due to the
fact that these house helps are not able to handle them appropriately.
I witnessed an instance when a younger cousin of mine took to sneaking
out at night to meet her boyfriend. This happened for a long time
until she was caught one day. Apparently, the house help who was
supposed to keep an eye on her always allowed the boy in question to
visit her at home regularly (in the absence of her parents). And since
the house help closed the doors at night, she allowed my cousin to
sneak out most times and opened the doors for her when she returned.If
any parent will need the services of an house help, they should
equally be around most of the times to supervise what happens in the
home.
Broken homes:
Again, broken homes and single parenting has become the order of the
day. What happened to couples staying in the marriage above all odds
for the love of their children(an object of their love)? I must say
firmly at this point that I am strongly against divorce under any
circumstance (especially when there are kids involved). The alarming
rate of divorce is quite pathetic because it no longer provides the
children the needed environment to grow positively.
Alot of children raised by single parents are mostly unhappy and
depressed. The frustrations and hurts of the partner who caters for
the child, are directly and indirectly channelled to the innocent
child. These children sometimes suffer severe beatings, child labour,
rape, insecurity and no sense of belonging.
7 out of 10 children who grow in such homes become wayward and
independent at a tender age. This is because that one parent can never
play two roles in the child’s life. They give up too soon when the
weight becomes heavier on them. At this point, the child becomes the
master of their own lives. Parents who see signs of inconvenience in
bringing up their children in such homes can ask other competent
relatives to cater for the child until they are back up on their feet.
Disorganised homes:
Another area of concern is a disorganised home. Here, I mean a home
where the members are not morally or socially upright. Some homes
house all manner of people such as drug addicts, prostitutes,
fraudsters, and the likes. This is mostly typical of slums and
compound houses. However, a parent should be able to scrutinize a
place before going to live there with their children.
If the environment poses a threat for the child, it must be changed.
Otherwise, the child may as well be moved out of such a place to avoid
corrupting his or her behavior. Remember, children pick up traits in
their immediate environment as they grow up. Therefore, the kind of
place they grow up in can play very significant role in their lives.
The appropriate home for a child is one that encourages him or her to
become the best of who they can be. Any person who plays the parental
role of the child must try as much as possible to make them happy. A
happy child is mostly a healthy, smart and productive child.
I will be very glad if the institutions in charge of child cases will
take up the challenge of ensuring the happiness of children growing
up. DOVVSU, Social welfare and development, the various orphanages,
teachers, and the immediate family must rise up to the course of
promoting safe and? sound environment for children.
Do not forget also that for a child, good parents or guardians,
healthy meal, comfortable clothes, playing and play materials, quality
education, and a happy home(no matter where), are prerequisite for a
happy living.
