Bring your kids
Posted October 6th, 2008 by Emishaw
We do not have place for children. We thank you for not bringing kids. Please do not bring kids to this wedding. If you have never noticed reading such statements this are the common endnotes in the invitation letters of weddings. This is usually to prevent a potential disorder by kids in a ceremony. It seems there is a point in that children could be pains in such events probably of not being that formal or even can cause a great deal of trouble. That is what I think people avoid kids in such ceremonies...but what other events are open for children is my question.
In most of the contexts of the society in Ethiopia, there are only few settings that are meant to be good for children, safe and up to their wishes. This is especially true for poor countries like Ethiopia where not all the school age children would be at school.
What makes me write this article is the kid I have met in a conference, which has nothing to do with children. Hikma is a five years old kid just starting school. She has come to a situational analysis workshop with her mother because her mother likes to take her to such places.
Hikma’s presence was some how a surprise for some participants and by the experience people were thoroughly observing her. I have seen that the topics were very strange to her but had seen the relaxation to attend the workshop by just being around her mom. Some of the hours, she went out as a kid but it was for a moment compared to 5 years old.
It strikes me imagining kids that are never been to places where their parents usually go, or places where their imaginations can grow bigger. The chances of observing or attending environment where the kids can learn a great deal of information seems to be the chance of few kids like Hikma.
Don’t take my point an extreme one, I believe kids has to grow like kids however I think it is important and very helpful for the child to see other realties as a kid. It is also a type of choice for the parent whether to take its child to a meeting or to a music concert .So think of exposing kids to such environments than just putting them to get away from social and other activities of older people. I wish to see a parliament where the representatives bring kids in to the meeting. A cool idea...?
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