She walks with her head bowed down from the bus
stop... all forlorn and alone...into a sterile home. She is all alone
again...just as all the days before. This is mostly the scenario of a child’s
life in today’s world. It is a busy busy world isn’t it? People seem to be very
enthusiastic about creating families... so what happens to all that enthusiasm
once the children are born? A child knows, understands and feels much more in
depth than anyone else and they are the ones who become the silent sufferers of
this current corporate age.
Nowadays most jobs require people to work nearly
twelve hours a day. Where exactly does a child fit in here? Most parents in
today’s age do not have a deep understanding or knowledge about the depth of
responsibility that goes along with having a child. Worn out from a whole day's
work, all that the parents seem able to do is hit the bed. Children are often
juggled between various nannies and day care centers and grandparents from
quite an early age. They are not allowed
to even form an attachment with a particular person. Their need for stability
and permanence is great in their lives yet they are denied of these most
important things. In most metropolitan cities you see the children being left
on their own, sometimes even seeing their parents only on weekends. Having at
least one parent home has become impossible as now the trends have seen women
becoming more career oriented than family wise while the man still continues to
be career oriented.
In a hurry to climb up the socioeconomic ladder,
today’s parents do not realize the importance of being there for all those
important moments in a child’s growing years. From the time the child utters
its first word to the first time it learns to walk...all these are turning
points in both the parent’s and child’s life. Nothing can ever compensate for a
parents absence in their child’s life. A child is exposed to a lot of vulnerabilities
and dangers without proper guidance from an adult. Being left alone the whole
day in the house is not exactly the poster of child safety. Careless attitude
of people who are supposed to take care of him/her also makes the situation
worse. A child needs to know unconditional love, care and generosity from
people around them, especially in their growing years. This not being available
leads to growth and psychological development. Parents also try to over compensate
their absence with money thereby causing further problems. These children are
also more vulnerable to social and peer pressures. Children are suffering from
an unprecedented rise in various psychological problems with depression topping
the list.
Being alone would affect anybody’s mental health so
just imagine the effect it will have on a child... a child who at that age
should be playing happily with various people and be extremely active. Now due
to no guiding sensible influence the children are content to sit in front of
the television thereby adding another problem of obesity on their already full
plate. They are also more likely to get addicted to intoxicating drinks and
drugs with the huge available resources and no supervision. Staying with
grandparents might be the most feasible options but how much of it is good? The
grandparents are already old and tired...no match for an energetic child. There
are a lot of restrictions that go along with having the child stay at the
grandparents. It is also physically and mentally taxing to the old people who
sometimes require peace and quiet.
All in all it is very detrimental for a child to be
neglected. We have to come up with practical solutions to solve this before it
is too late. There should be a proper understanding among people who wish to be
parents about the huge responsibility they are undertaking. They should be
prepared to sacrifice their time and also sometimes their work so that they can
be together as a family. The corporate companies should also meet the parents
halfway. They should ensure that the parents get enough leave to be with their
child or at least provide flexible hours of work for a year.
To conclude... there isn’t really an excuse for not
having time for them. You love them; you make time and give them the tools to
function as responsible people.
