It's Children's Day tomorrow and the bad news for primary school kids (and teachers) is they 'miss' a holiday since it's a Saturday.
The last couple of days or so have thrown up other rather 'bad' news wrt children. There was that paedophile who molested his neighbours' daughter for years. Then, there was the 13-year-old missing girl who turned out to be not really missing but at her friend's house for 3 days. Hot on the heels of the 8-year-old girl who was also 'missing' for 2 days but actually at her friend's house.
Being a parent can really be scary. There is so much that can happen to your child even though you live in 'safe and secure' Singapore. It must be so heartbreaking when these things actually happen to your child.
What I want to know is, what were those parents of the friends of the 2 missing girls thinking of? Why didn't they inform the parents or make the girls call home? As parents, didn't they put themselves in the shoes of the girls' parents? Wouldn't they be frantic if their children went missing? Apparently the 13-year-old told her friend's parents not to let her parents know, and they went along with it!
There was also this article earlier in the week about Tinkle Friend, the helpline for primary school children. The service received some 4,300 calls last year.
So being a child is Singapore is really, really tough too. What's more, October is exam month...
I am reminded here of something which Mother Teresa said,
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.
She also said that in all the work her Sisters had done, they found that the greatest need was in developed countries, like Australia and the UK, not among the 'poorest of the poor'.
We know that poverty means, first of all, to be hungry for bread, to need clothing, and not have a home. But there is a far greater kind of poverty. It means being unwanted, unloved, and neglected. It means having no one to call your own.
I'm not saying these children are unwanted, unloved or neglected, but there are children among us who obviously have needs other than bread, clothing and a home. And it's up to us to try our best to have each child who passes our way leave 'better and happier'.
May our children be happy as all children should be.
Walk with the spring of a child
See with the eyes of a child
Believe with the heart of a child
The last couple of days or so have thrown up other rather 'bad' news wrt children. There was that paedophile who molested his neighbours' daughter for years. Then, there was the 13-year-old missing girl who turned out to be not really missing but at her friend's house for 3 days. Hot on the heels of the 8-year-old girl who was also 'missing' for 2 days but actually at her friend's house.
Being a parent can really be scary. There is so much that can happen to your child even though you live in 'safe and secure' Singapore. It must be so heartbreaking when these things actually happen to your child.
What I want to know is, what were those parents of the friends of the 2 missing girls thinking of? Why didn't they inform the parents or make the girls call home? As parents, didn't they put themselves in the shoes of the girls' parents? Wouldn't they be frantic if their children went missing? Apparently the 13-year-old told her friend's parents not to let her parents know, and they went along with it!
There was also this article earlier in the week about Tinkle Friend, the helpline for primary school children. The service received some 4,300 calls last year.
So being a child is Singapore is really, really tough too. What's more, October is exam month...
I am reminded here of something which Mother Teresa said,
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.
She also said that in all the work her Sisters had done, they found that the greatest need was in developed countries, like Australia and the UK, not among the 'poorest of the poor'.
We know that poverty means, first of all, to be hungry for bread, to need clothing, and not have a home. But there is a far greater kind of poverty. It means being unwanted, unloved, and neglected. It means having no one to call your own.
I'm not saying these children are unwanted, unloved or neglected, but there are children among us who obviously have needs other than bread, clothing and a home. And it's up to us to try our best to have each child who passes our way leave 'better and happier'.
May our children be happy as all children should be.
Walk with the spring of a child
See with the eyes of a child
Believe with the heart of a child
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