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Where violence is child's play
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Children of the 21st Century grow up in an atmosphere of violence and this scars them for life. But, it is up to the elders, especially parents, to protect them from such negative influences.
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B STANDS FOR bomb, C for children, D for destruction and this is how you link the three in sequence — Children of today are brought up amidst war and destruction.
If people think reading newspapers is a good habit, they are wrong. If parents think that watching television is informative, they are even more wrong. And if `all work and no play' is going to make Jack a dull boy, let it be so because the terrorising toys he plays with breed ruthlessness in him. The same goes for computers, games, books, music and just about anything you could associate with children. Everything around the child of the 21st Century personifies violence and brutality.
This is perhaps an exaggerated criticism. It is true that budding talent can be shaped by TV programmes, the Internet, educative books, CD- ROMs and extra curricular activities. But are these what children access and use from the various sources they are provided with? Certainly not!
The toys they play with are GI Joe, guns and armoured tanks.
The books they read are about wizardry and witchcraft, ghosts and goose bumps. The games they play on the computer expose them to violence. The movies they watch glorify daredevil stunts and gross murders. Their tender ears are opened to tales of terrorism and war.
How then could one expect a child to be calm and serene?
Eight-year-old Ankur's world revolves around wrestling, besides computer games such as `Quake' and `Doom', says his mother, Radha. It isnot surprising to hear Mrs. Khanna say,`` My daughter seems more eager to know about Al Capone and Dawood Ibrahim than Amartya Sen and Nelson Mandela.''
When a child is bombarded with the same information he sub-consciously develops a ruthlessness that attains a zenith during the teen years making him a rebel.
``I have lost all hold on my son. At 14 he has become a terror in our household and neighbourhood,'' says his mother Madhavi dejectedly.
With children indulging themselves in aggressive activities and crime, the blame may be heaped upon them. But that would not be justice. For, the responsibility of moulding them lies solely in the hands of the elders, especially parents. While being indulgent, on the one hand, parents need to follow the movements of their children closely, on the other, and anything that might appear as a change in the child's attitude and habits must be minutely scrutinised, says Dr. Balakrishnan, a leading paediatrician.
The secret behind raising sociable and successful youngsters is by providing them with an environment that surrounds them with goodness, warmth and, above all, security, feels Ramnath Phalke, a psychiatrist.
A child should be imbued with moral values and self-discipline. Some schools dedicate a few hours every week for classes in yoga and moral instruction and this plays a major role in shaping the lives of children.
Let us therefore lay the foundation for a future that is filled with goodness and prosperity by showing our children the path to peace.
D.PRAVIN
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