I was recently invited to host a children’s Mother’s Day concert, organized by a youth-based organization. I was rather eager and delighted to share in such a joyous occasion to celebrate mothers, and at the same time see the nation’s children and young people display their God-given talents. The talents displayed were very impressive, and honestly exceeded my expectations.
Nonetheless, despite excellent performances by our young people, I left the concert feeling very disheartened , as only an estimated fifty percent at most of mothers who had children participating, attended the event, as did only one father, who happened to be a part of the organizing committee. My heart was further broken, when, at one point the children were all given roses and asked to present them to their mothers at the event, and many children had to resort to simply coming centre stage, bowing and curtseying gracefully and then exiting the stage ,roses still in hand, as their mothers were visibly absent from the audience.
It was at this point that I was struck by a conviction to pen this commentary, to appeal to all parents and guardians alike, to ever demonstrate their unwavering SUPPORT of and for the children and young people of this Federation. This is done by not only paying child support and schools fees, providing them with a meal, putting a roof over their heads, and buying them fancy clothing, but even as importantly by being there for them at all times especially to cheer them on when they are using their talents for a positive cause.
I am still baffled at this point, as to how some parents could actually sit back and observe their children rehearsing for the concert at home, prepare their ‘Sunday best’ for them to wear to the concert, and yet not be bothered enough to simply accompany their own children, to provide them with the moral support, that they so badly crave, to continue excelling at what they do.
Parents and guardians, I simply cannot SHUT UP! I cannot turn a blind eye to such an unacceptable injustice being done to our nation’s children and young people. If the children are indeed the future, we must lend them our continued support beginning now. Parents and guardians, I am sounding the Clarion Call for you to SHOW UP and Support your Children. Show up at every Sports Day, recital, concert, program, cantata, parent-teachers meeting, you name it.
Be there for your children and demonstrate that you care about what they are doing. Graduations are just around the corner, and I urge you to make it your priority to attend. Go out in your numbers and show your children that you are proud of them for achieving such a milestone. Fathers, I plead to you to let last year be the last time graduations were viewed as a female-dominated, mothers-only event. It is high time we see equal numbers of mothers and fathers showing up to represent their children.
It is impossible for us to expect that the statistics for juvenile violence and delinquency will drop, if parents just sit back nonchalantly, and not actively demonstrate their support for their children and rally around them in well doing.
Parents and guardians, do not wait for your child to cry out from the gallows and say “MOMMY, DON’T BOTHER TO COME”, THE TIME TO SHOW UP IS NOW, SUPPORT YOUR CHILDREN TODAY!KUDOS to those of you who do. To those of you who don’t, I say “Get on board immediately”. For the sake of the nation’s children!!
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