Creating a healthy balance

Apr 18, 2014 Editorial

School is out. Last Friday, the Easter term ended. Thousands of children are now enjoying a much-deserved three-week break from the routine of attending classes.
For the majority of parents, especially in households where both father and mother are working, the holidays present something of a challenge, as to how their children will gainfully spend this period.
In times gone by, especially in the villages, the holidays were periods which children eagerly looked forward to, not only because they represented a break from hard studies, but also because it was a time when they looked forward to playing and having fun, a time to enjoy that wonderful period of our lives, childhood.
In those days, children used to go fishing, or would escape into the backdams to swim in the canals until their skins were covered with a white sheet that foiled their attempts to lie to their parents as to what they were doing all day. The holiday period was also a time for climbing fruit trees and savouring their products, or simply playing games with neighbours and friends.
Things have changed. Not many parents today are too inclined to have their children roving the backdams unsupervised by an adult. And rightly so. Not many adults are keen on allowing their children out of their eyesight; not with the rampant criminal activities that are taking place and the temptations that lie outside of the home.
With the advent of advanced technology, the fun, for many, has moved indoors. This has been both a blessing and problem. No one can deny the educational benefits of some of these gadgets, but children who sit excessively long in front of the television and/or with their smartphones and tablets, etc., have been found to lose out on interacting and playing with their peers, and this restricts the development of their interpersonal skills.
Studies have shown that people who have worked on developing strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and personal lives. And we all seek success in our career pursuits.
Conversely, parents are also concerned about the physical safety of their children while outdoors. With motor vehicles racing down our narrow roads, with the high incidence of molestation, many parents may feel content to have their children stay at home. In so doing, the children miss out on a wonderful and fascinating part of growing up.
The situation is not made any easier when you consider that many of the accessible outdoor facilities are in a rundown and deplorable condition. In many areas, especially in the squatter settlements and new housing areas, there are limited recreational facilities for our young people.
In recent years, a number of religious and social organisations have been organising vacation camps for children. Many of the churches now run activities which combine religious instruction with some fun and skill development activities.
In addition, some educational institutes are offering courses intended to challenge children to spend some of their vacation in the classroom learning new things. These schools, particularly during the end-of-school-year holidays, have multiplied rapidly, and once parents can afford the prices charged, there is no want of options for parents to consider during the longest school break, i.e. if the parents are interested.
Some groups also organise classes to develop the physical talents of our children.
It is hoped that increasingly more healthy activities will be offered in the years ahead so that parents can have a wide range to choose from. But it is also hoped that those involved in the organising of these events will not forget that school is out and that the holiday period is as much about the children having fun, playing and discovering their physical environment, than it is about returning to another classroom drill.
Childhood is a time when parents should allow the best of children to bloom, a period when parents should strive to create balance in the lives of their children.

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Creating a healthy balance

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