Child Abuse
It's an ugly thing. And the worst thing is, it's more common than we all think.
I'm not talking about physical or sexual abuse either. Sure, those things are definitely happening. But what is more common and in some cases more deadly is something that looks much more harmless on the surface. What I'm talking about, is Emotional Abuse.
Emotional abuse is a prototype of actions that attacks a child's emotional development. It includes steady criticizing; belittling, insulting, rejecting and teasing are some of the forms these oral attacks can take.
I myself used to be very impatient with children who couldn't control themselves (forgetting that I was once such a kid) And as a consequence, I would scold them harshly if they did something that annoyed me. I have since learned, however, that this is a very very bad thing to do. I mean, children definitely should be disciplined when they do something wrong, but we really have to see the circumstances, and see if we can teach through a positive way rather than scolding in harsh words.
I remember the example on one of Bill Gothards Basic Life Principles sessions about a young boy who plucked some prized flowers from the garden to give to his mother. All he wanted was to show his love for his mother. And what did his mother do? Instead of thanking the boy and maybe just telling him in a good way not to do it again, she gave him a slap and scolded him in a big way. No surprise that he never did another thing like that for her again. I hope she went to an old folks home after that. She deserves it.
So yeah, I would like to see this sort of abuse stopped. And everyone, including you guys who are reading this post, can get involved by joining up and supporting UNICEF, a group dedicated to making children's lives better. Their motto says it best:
What are you waiting for? here's the link
UNICEF
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