Children are Precious

As I was driving into the parking lot of my apartment complex this afternoon, I met three little children playing cricket in the driveway in front of my slot. They looked ages 6 and under were completely unchaperoned -- not even a babysitter in sight, let alone a parent. They saw my car approach and moved into another slot to wait while I parked.

Now, I always reverse and park, so I edged my car ahead of the slot and then turned to see if the children were safe so that I could back in. That's when one little boy decided that it was a good idea to play games with my car. He squatted behind my car in the driveway. I saw him do it and called out to him that was unsafe and he should move to the side. The little fellow stuck his fingers in his ears and pretended not to hear me. Of course, as I began slowly backing into my slot, he quickly moved away.

Being a mom myself, I was absolutely shocked to see children under 6 unchaperoned in, of all places, parking lots. One of the children then told me it was too hot to play in the play-area so they were hanging out in the parking lot. Of course it was too hot to be in an unshaded play-area in the middle of the afternoon!

That's when I understood what was going on. The children had been sent out of the house to the play-area in order to let people at home rest in peace without the noise of television, computer games or simply childish voices. The children, in their innocence, found the play-area too hot and relocated their game to the parking lot.

I don't blame the children. What about the caregivers?

When I was growing up, we weren't allowed to go out of the house in the afternoon, and we weren't allowed to play noisy games either. Afternoon was quiet time, adults rested and children were expected to keep ourselves occupied in quiet ways. If we couldn't think of *anything* to do, then sitting quietly getting bored was just fine. Of course, no child ever gets bored. Afternoons were spent reading books, drawing, and colouring pictures, among other things.

Which brings me to my point. Today, adults complain that children are rowdy, and not interested in "intellectual pursuits". Here's my question: have the caregivers ever tried to create an atmosphere that enables such pursuit? It is quite possible that the first time you ask a child who hasn't been told to stay home in the afternoon to do so quietly, the child will rebel. Calm, firm and PATIENT handling will eventually help create an atmosphere where the child will begin to gravitate towards "quiet" activities.

How many parents are ready to do this? I have heard moms say 'X doesn't listen to me' and take the easy way out of leaving the child unchaperoned in play areas, parking lots and even elevators.

It really makes me wonder. Of course parenting is a great joy, but isn't it an equally big responsibility? Don't our children have the right to our time -- to chaperone them, to set limits and boundaries, to firmly and calmly enforce them, to steer them towards activities that will stand them in good stead through life? Are we now so selfish that we are ready to gamble even on the safety of our children in order to enjoy our own life?

Childhood is fleeting and children are precious -- enjoy your child's childhood by cherishing parenting in all its glory -- a large part of which is responsibility to your child.