GREAT PARENTING ATTRIBUTES

Eric, the child of a prominent government official, was involved in a bullying incident. He cornered a junior student and beat him to a pulp. Joe witnessed the whole scene. He tried stopping Eric but could not. So, he alerted some teachers who come to the junior student rescue. It was too late; Eric has beating the boy black and blue. He was writhing in agony, his school uniform soaked in his blood. When questioned, Joe explained all that transpired to the teachers, but the fact that the child involved was the son of a politician, the teachers became afraid of what might happen if the truth about what happened was told. After conversing among themselves, they instructed Joe to keep mute and not speak about what he saw.

By the morning of the next day, a croud had gathered in front of the Head Teachers office. The mother of the boy who was assaulted was hysterical; she wanted to see the student who had bullied her son. But the teachers told her a different version of of the story. They painted a picture of her son being the one at fault, but she refused to believe them. She told them her son had never been involved in a fight, let alone assault an older student who happened to be the child of a government official. When the school dilly dallied, she began to make a scene.

Eric parents heard about the situation in the school and became angry. They felt the woman was out to soil their reputation. So, they decided to go to the school and put the record straight. But because they wanted to creat a scene, they invited newsmen to the school.

The students were interviewed and they all had the same story. Joe had been warned and threatened to stick to the story the teachers told. No one was permited to disclose exact detail of what transpired. Joe was perplexed. His parents had taught him to stand for honesty and intergrity at all times. Now he wasn’t sure what to do: should he obey his teachers and lie about what happened or should he obey his parents and speak the thruth? W hen he was called in for questioning, his heart raced. At first , he was quiet; he closed his eyes and prayed for Gods help. When he spoke, he narrated everything exactly as it happened.

The Head Teacher was disappointed. He tried to salvage the situation but he couldn’t find the words to refute Joe position. Eric parents were embarrassed. They couldn’t stand the media. They quickly got into their car and zoom off. When some journalists asked why he chose to say the truth, Joe replied that that his parents had taught him to always uphold the thruth no matter the circumstance.

Teaching The Right Perspectives

A childs perspective refers to a childs view and understanding of certain situations. Parents must help their children from the right perspective about life. At birth, the minds of children are said to be blank slates; our interactions with them, teachings, corrections, the things and people we expose them to fill those slates and go on to shape their view and approach to life.

From the strory above, Joe parents had thought him what every responsible parents should teach their wards. The young chap already had a sense of what was true and right from a tender age. So, he didn’t allow himself to be bullied into telling a lie. This highlights the need to teach or help children from the right perspective about themselves, about life, and other people.

The first step to doing this is to be available for your children. A lot of parents are absent in the lives of their children. They know practically nothing or just a few fringe things about their children and issues they grapple with. Many times, as parents, we have a sacred responsibility to teach our children the right path they should walk in, and to protect them from the corruptions in our world. Don’t be that kind of parent. Be intentional about knowing your children. Take out time to have genuine conversations with them. Make them feel at ease around you; don’t be unapproachable. Creat an environment where you can ask them for their thoughts on issues without them feeling timid or ashamed.