Emotional Neglect and Depression appear to be the biggest problems among Malaysian children, if calls to the country's first 24-hour helpline for children, 15999 Childline are anything to go by. Forty percent of the children calling the helpline had symptoms of psychosocial and mental health problems. Of the 5,127 calls that Childline received since its launch on November 20 last year, 2,044 were from children who were bored, lonely, stressed or depressed, with some even having suicidal tendencies. Some were as young as 4 - most were latchkey kids.
[New Sunday Time 18-Dec-2011]
Children want our time and attention. They want to give and receive affection. They also want to play and eat together as a family, to jump and run, to climb and explore. They want to go to bed each night knowing that they are safe and loved.
The foundation of a child is how we as a parent bring them up physically, spiritually and mentally.
Parents roles are to prepare them to leave us as independent, emotionally resilient beings with a strong moral and social compass. That means being loving and kind while setting clear behavioural boundaries and consequences, positive as well as negative.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. Proverbs 29:17
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
No comments:
Post a Comment