Youth Of The Nation

Kahil Gibran once said, ~The teacher...gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and lovingness. If he is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.~ Let me ask you this question, who in life is considered to be your mentor? For it’s that man or woman who guided, molded, sought advice from, and helped you become the person you are today. Whether it was in your personal or professional life that person was always supportive and never gave up on you even though you may have given up on yourself. In a sense, he or she is your Yoda who seemingly has some, most, or all the answers when the questions to the answers you seek are hard to come by.

Working in the childcare profession, you're not just considered their friend to many kids but your also considered a teacher. For the knowledge we have attained over the years has been passed on to many other kids and whether or not the particular information given is valid, one goes with what he or she knows. For we've all been in a situation where a child or a group of children ask you a question and you either have no idea, try to answer it with the best of your knowledge, or ask someone who might possibly know. For it can be a comical situation when nobody knows the answer and that's when its left in the capable hands of his, her, or their parent(s).

Speaking of the parents, you truly get a sense of a child's upbringing by how a parent rears him, her or them at home. This may not apply to you directly if you have kids, but there are particular parents that I have seen who treat their own kid(s) as second class citizens to where a no loving, lack-luster greeting is given when picking him, her, or them up. Its like that parent sees their child/children as a necessity rather than a joy to see and granted they just worked long hours, but show some love instead of barking orders to get one's things to leave immediately, which gives us insight and teaches us there is a reason as to why certain kids act out the way they do be it strict rules and/or lack of attention at home.

Without a doubt, each of us are products of how we were raised and taught by our own parents or parents. Inevitably, you learn a lot from being around kids, especially how they act in the presence of their parent(s) and then left in the hands of child care professionals such as myself. For their whole persona, attitude, listening skills, and most importantly manners are essentially gone as soon as that parent's steps foot out the door. Don't get me wrong, not all kids fall under this demographic as it is certain kids who need direction and an attitude adjustment, but done with loving wisdom that one has been taught to use. Yet, the question remains: does it work? My answer... sometimes, but you don't give up at it.

Whether you know it or not, January is national mentoring month and all across the nation people are encouraged to mentor a child. In other words, become a big brother/big sister or be a part of The Boys and Girls Club of America, which is affiliated with the Youth Center that I work at. For three questions can be asked to you: 1.) Were you ever in the big brother/big sister program as a kid? 2.) Do you still keep in contact with him or her? 3.) How many of you are now a part of the big brother/ big sister program? Ultimately, mentoring kids is a great thing because the positive influence you give will hopefully be received back. In the end, they're not just the youth of the nation, they're our future.