Little People

I was nine years old when I wrote my first poem, on lime coloured cardboard paper.  It was about loneliness, so it was aptly titled ‘Poam of Loneliness’.  I gave it to my grade three teacher and in my school report she called me “little author”.  For the first time I believed that I could be a good writer, because someone else took my writing as seriously as I did.  I have shared this because, I was a nine year old who had massive dreams of being a writer and now I am a twenty two year old, who reads stories about children whose biggest challenge is survival. 

Matthew 19:14- Jesus said: Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (NIV)

I recently read  ‘The God of Small Things’ by Arundhati Roy and it brought to my attention the incredible power adults have in shaping the lives and possibly the destinies of children.  The way children treat our words as gold and trust us to be right about everything is scary.  To think that someone will believe you, wholeheartedly, and would be willing to surrender everything for your love and approval puts you in a dangerous position.  It is more terrifying to consider that not so long ago; you were the child who put someone else in that position. Only, you were privileged to have the adult who understood the responsibility of that position.

Most people have seen the video of the seven year old girl who stole an iPhone in a coffee shop.  The comments posted on the video were varied, some people blaming her parents and others blaming the child for choosing to complete a task that she “knew” was wrong.  When you are seven years old, you do not question what your parents tell you, because you do not expect them to be wrong.  When you are seven years old, your world revolves around your parents (or guardians) and all you want is for them to be pleased with you.  They are your moral compass and the closest model of God.   

What chance do children have of becoming responsible citizens and leaders when their authority figures are irresponsible and careless?  How do children rise above their situations when they are taught to have low expectations for their lives?  We cannot expect them to accomplish more than previous generations when the benchmark we have set is hardly a benchmark.  We need to excel in our task as being the best example of the exceptional standards by which they will eventually live.  I am not a parent and I probably should not be a judge of a situation which I know nothing about.  However, I was a child once and I remember enough to know the impact of someone else’s actions on my life.    

Unfortunately, poor role models are not the only force children have to work against.  They have to overcome the barrier of being voiceless.  In a country where teachers rape pupils and the bodies of toddlers are found mutilated in public toilets, I doubt that there is a voice to defend the little people... and if there is, it has been silent.  As generation Y adults, we cannot fail them.  We are building a future which they will lead.  We have to be their voice.

So, as the “little author” I choose to be to the little people who my grade three teacher was to me, because her actions changed the course of my life.  On days when I doubt my ability to write, or when my dream of being a journalist seems out of reach, I think about what my grade three teacher wrote about me, and then I keep fighting for that nine year old’s dream. We adults underestimate our ability to write a child’s future.  We hold their dreams in our hands.