Staff Writer - Katrin Callender
There is an old adage which states that it takes a village to raise a child. For every one, on every street, of every city, in every country of this world, children surround us. And every adult, whether a parent or not has an influence on the person these children become. Every time we leave our homes, we execute a series of actions which may be observed by any number of children, ranging in age from infancy to adolescence.
These children may vary in gender, race, creed, culture, economic and educational opportunities and personality. Yet they share the same desire to understand, and find a place in, the world around them. And many of them will find themselves taking their cues from the adults around them, whether these adults are directly connected to them or strangers.
A few years ago it was not uncommon to hear an adult swear only to catch sight of a child in close proximity, realize the implications of this action and quickly apologize to the adult accompanying the child or the child, or both. Some individuals would go as far as to wag a finger at the child and attempt to discourage the child from ever exhibiting similar behavior. Other individuals might attempt to deter young relatives or members of their communities from alcoholism or smoking or drug use. Sometimes their campaigning was in the arguably hypocritical ‘do-as-I-say-and-not-as-I-do’ style, or the ‘this-is-what-I-was-taught-and-that-makes-it-good-enough-for-you’ style. Neither of these methods, nor neglecting to address the issue was particularly successful in deterring behavior that was deemed unacceptable for children. Many children, especially older ones will not respond to perceived hypocrisy. Ironically, this sentiment is felt by adults as well.
You don't want to be on the receiving end...!
What practitioners in the fields of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations know is that no idea can be ‘sold’ unless it appeals to the consumer. The individuals that influence young minds convincingly sell happiness or perfection or any number of qualities children are taught to desire. Notably, many adults continue the pursuit of these goals. Every parent has a vision of the person their child will become. Yet the influences come from everywhere. I commend the parents who manage to apply the advice of TV personality Dr. Phil who says, ‘you’re not going to be the only voice in your child’s head, so make sure you’re the loudest one.” But the world is fast paced, and ever changing and many parents are spending less time with their children.
We can, as neighbours, or merely as adults interacting with the children that share our environments, resolve to assist these parents. We may not be in the position to do so by directly speaking with the parents or children. Yet, our actions, once observed informed a database of sorts, which children refer to when they are faced with making a decision. As 2012 commences, our determination to make ourselves exemplars to the youth around us, will not merely be a noble endeavor but one that makes the future quite promising.
