EYE OPENER
Parents love your children
Children are the gift of God. They are joyous dolls in the household, and the noisiest circus in the home. When a couple has 19 children, 12 boys and 7 girls, a basketball and volleyball teams could be formed. According to old folks, the usual practice in the early 20’s of child bearing couple is to have 10 to 19 children as the population then was around 10 million. Besides, in the bay or seashore areas, the more the couple has many children the better since these little ones can help in catching fish.
Some couple say that the more you have children in those early days, the better for you when you are old and out of job, many hands will give you money. This was true before World War II when only with ten centavos on hand, one could already buy a ganta of rice and fish to boot. In the late 60’s when a couple has P100, only one ganta and a few pieces of dried fish could one buy with the money.
There are parents especially husbands who are oftentimes cruel to their children. When they get angry especially when they have heated argument with their bedmate and are “outside the kulambo,” they pass on their anger not to their wives but to their children. Anything they come across with, a barateja and a hard object, they throw to their children usually the boys. Repentance comes only last when their battered sons are brought to the hospital in serious condition. The poor girls are beaten like dogs and when their dear mother intervenes, serious fight arose between the couple.
There is a teaching in the Bible, to love the little children. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). When God loves the little children, it is but proper for parents to love their children and not beat them like animals. Discipline the children in the right manner but not inflict them bodily harm. Children are but human beings and dishonoring their reputation may lead them to rebel and become a problem to society later on.
There is also an admonition in the Bible against the children – Ephesians 6: 1, “Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.”
Parents should love their children as the Lord loves them. They should not raise delinquent children which will later become a problem to society. Children will be parents someday and they ought to behave like responsible ones when they are still in their parents custody. Parents and children should love each other as this is mandated by the Lord. The more you love your children, the more they will be closer to you parents and be a responsible member of society and family. Love your children as if they were to become your enemies and your enemies as if they were to become your children.*
