Children having the opportunity to be happy and lighthearted is another birthright! Their very nature should be happy and their spirits should be light and bright! They should be sheltered from the things in life that are not age appropriate for them. Their world should provide a shelter from the storms that challenge adults. They don’t need to be involved in resolving and interfacing with situations that are not of their concern! So many times, children get drawn into conversations and drama that are not appropriate for them. We as their parents and those that have a guardian relationship with children, should be intentional about making sure we are cognizant and responsible in for securing safe and appropriate experiences for our children.
We know that this is not happening for so many children in today’s chaotic world. Children all over the world are facing so many serious situations -war-hunger-homelessness-disease-lack of education and destruction of their family unit. We owe them so much and what they ask for is so basic and simplistic. They want to be happy. They want to laugh and smile. They want to play and explore their world and all it has to offer. They want to play with us. I get the asked by my grandsons all the time to “just play with us for a little”. They need our time and for that investment, we get filled with a feeling of joy that cannot be described. They love to sing and dance. They love to use their imagination and create things in their world that makes them feel good about themselves.
Childhood holds the one time in our lives that being happy and light of heart, should not be the exception but the rule. Every child deserves to be free of worrying and free from the cost of being without the necessities of life. Every child needs assurance that they will be cared for no matter what is happening around them. I can’t even begin to understand how a child feels not knowing where they will lay their head to rest at night because they are homeless. I can’t fathom how a child feels that must go hungry, because there is nothing to eat. I know of children that their meals comprised of what they got at school in our food programs and if school was out, they were lucky if they had one meal a day. I can’t imagine how a child feels that is awaken in the middle of the night hearing bombs exploding and fearing that one might hit their home. I can’t comprehend how parents can conduct themselves in ways that make a child fearful and withdrawn. I can’t begin to know what a parent must feel like when they know they can’t provide safety for their child. I would be living in a state of terror. My child comes first!
Children are not suppose to live under circumstances that make them feel fearful and insecure. Children need adults that care for them that are grounded and in control. In order for children to be happy and have the childhood they deserve; they must be able to trust the adults to be capable of providing a safe and nurturing environment. Children are looking for relationships that will allow them to be themselves. Children want adults that will safe guard their childhood and all the beauty and joy that they yearn for. I believe that we are capable of being and doing what children need. I believe that if we step back into our childhood and allow ourselves to feel who we were and what we experienced as children, we will be awakened to what we have the potential of becoming, in order to change the world for them.
