Keep the Children Happy

I recall quite a number of things that made me happy or unhappy as a child. One of them was days like this. My sister and I would want to be at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, to witness the marchpast by different processions from each of the attending schools. But Mummy did not always say yes. And when it was no, the Children’s Day would turn out to be a sulky one. If only I could turn back the hands of time, little things like the refusal of march carnivals, sweets and biscuits would not bother me. It is amazing the kinds of things that bother kids. Another was the periodic making of the hair with threads every week by mothers, aunties, sisters or the market women. Because kids need a form of stability to keep them adjusted, the hairdresser would have to stabilise the child between her thighs. This was a three-in-one problem, the stabilising with the thighs, the pain of stretching the hair and the inability of we girls to move around. It would be the same even to adults, just that adults don’t need that form of stabilising or hairmaking rules to abide by. I would also mention how criminal it was to deny a child of their favourite TV channel or video or call them out in the middle of their favourite cartoon for an errand. That was one of the reasons we wanted to be adults back then. What we didn’t know was that as we grew older, our tastes in TV would not be the same, and we may not even have time for TV. The list would not be complete if I failed to add school assignments or house chores. If only a kid could look into an adult’s mind, or into the future, they would understand that these are no problems at all. So, a word to parents, always let your kids know that these are no problems at all. And make it a duty to keep them happy. Very soon, they’ll be all grown up and wouldn’t need you to give them treats. So when you can’t meet these needs, find a way to make problem seem like no problem. Keep them happy. A Happy Children’s Day to every child reading this. And don’t forget to remember to keep yourself happy when you can’t go out for treats or have chocolates and biscuits. When you grow, you will learn that these are no problems at all.