Parental Responsibility

 

 

    Parenting is far more than what most parents think it is. Parenting is being responsible for the needs of your children, be it physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. Parents are expected to give the best of their attention to their children. Unfortunately, the opposite of this is what children get from their parents, only few parents see the need to attend to every need of their children. 

     Recently, I had the opportunity to see through to the hearts of few teenagers and I realized that the bases of their misbehaviour can only be traced to their parents' negligence of their responsibility upon them. Many adults are a picture of this reality and billions of children out there are victims of the same drama, especially in the African society. Children find it so difficult to relate with their parents.

The first and best friend of every child should be his/her parents. Of course, that's the first contact, but parents-child friendship (relationship) is an oxymoron in our society.

     In the right sense, children should be able to confide in their parents, but parents have built a garden of insecurity in their children's hearts. Hence, they keep quiet or talk to whoever they feel secured with. How? (I mean, how do parents build a garden of insecurity in their children?)

     First, Some Parents don't trust their children. When a child is trying to be free and sincere with his/her parents, they tend to probe him/her, and such child keeps quiet. When you don't trust a child, he sees no reason to trust you also. The irony of the matter here is that a time is coming that such parents will need the children to talk to them about some critical issue, but they wouldn't talk.

     Second, Some Parents misunderstand their children. I was in a conversation with a friend, and he was lamenting about how his parents have always misunderstand his interest. He is a very creative web builder, but that doesn't make any sense to his parents, they want him to be involved another thing, they understand his passion. It important that parents understand the interest, weaknesses, strength and every about their children.

      Third, Most Parents are far away. How many children wants to talk to their parents. Most children are confused and not convinced about their tomorrow; they need the voice of their parents to share them up. But unfortunately, they have to fight their battles all alone even when their parents are there physically, they cannot hear the heartbeat of their children in the coolest night. Their eyes are always up and their minds calculating how they can make money. The truth is, no matter how rich you become in life, if you don't take care of your children, you are poorer than a pauper.

     Forth, Majority of Parents compare their children. This comes in various ways, they compare their children with each other, they compare their children with those of their friends and they apply the same methods their friends use in dealing and disciplining their children, forgetting that children are different and are meant to be dealt with differently.

        Fifth, Parents misquote their children. When a child needs love and the warmth of encouragement, they are often misquoted by their parents and are thrown into the coldest night of wander and hatred. Parents need to get this right, Children communicate their need in a very unrelated ways, but we need to be sensitive to their need of love, they don't necessarily need to be right, but deserve to be heard and quoted right. Imagine, a female child whom her parents never told they love, she would fall easily to the hand of a strange man who says that to her, and the next thing most African parents would do in that case is to beat her up.

      Sixth, Some Parents are careless. I've seen a lot of uniped children whose parents are alive left alone to cater for themselves. It's hard for such a child to love and trust his or her parents. 

There are a lot happening that are not mentioned, at the same time, some children never experience any of these scenarios and if you are out of the drama, you are the luckiest.

      Deep down my heart, I can hear the wailing of many children who need their parents so closely saying, "Our parents! Where are you?!"

MY RESOLUTIONS ARE:

     Parents, please be responsible for your children. Stop to focus on their physical needs which is the minimal of them all. God gave you those children to manage and it is a sin if you mismanage them. It is better to be barren than to not be responsible for your children.

       If parents refuse to take responsibility upon their children. Children! Be responsible for your own life. You have a greater destiny to fulfill beyond your present realities, so jerk up and do what will make your life better.

       It is written in the Bible that, those who have been saved should rise for the salvation of others. My point is, those of us that are aware of this reality in our society should take the responsibility to move closer to every neglected child around us. Give them the chance to pour out their minds to you. Prove yourself to them as a parent.