Growing up

A word that has long deserted an adult like me, innocence doesn't usually play a prominent role in my greater scheme of things; my mind, typical for an adult, are always occupied and preoccupied with my predicaments, be it business, family, relationship, inflation, health and many more. Something, something happened that made me reflect and recall about when I was a young toddler, naive, bubbly, playful and yes, innocent. A child is like a white piece of paper that has neither any scribblings nor any writings on it, the paper being a metaphor for our innocence. With time, this paper will be filled with bright colourful colours that will shape our minds into a person that we would be when we accend the mantle of adulthood.

I began reminiscing about this when I noticed younger children now becoming ever increasing violent, contributing greatly to social ills. Cases like rapes, fights, murder, robbery and indulging in drugs usage are more rampant nowadays. It dawned to me that the majority of kids are more precocious as compared to when I was one and they tend to loose their innocence very early in life. Why is it so? Maybe with the advent of computer games and interactive multimedias, children doesn't go through the natural process of growing up. Violence are abundant in the mass media, information technology is available freely, volumes upon volumes of overly graphic films and documentaries are available in the idiot box with only a single sentence of disclaimer stating, "Due to the graphic nature of this programe, viewer descretion is advised". How do kids being a piece of white paper decide what is right and what is wrong? How do they avoid getting splashed with colours other than black and dark colours?


I remembered when I was young everything is well defined, and crystal clear, things are either black or white and we could easily differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. In stark contrast to what is happening in this present world, things are no longer clear cut. It's at most time, grey and as such difficult to differentiate. We have programes glorifying mobs and gangsters, movies that shows that evils truimping over good and many more negativity that is drilled into the minds of innocent children. When we have negativities like that, what can we expect from our children?

But how do we solve a problem as complexs as this? If I am a parent, I will ask myself the same question. What would I do? What things that I can do to prevent this from ever happening to my flesh and blood? Would a clamp down on all modes of medias be a good precedent to prevent the precocious loss of innocence? Would enforcing strict guidelines and sending children earlier to school a good move to prevent them from learning bad things? I think not. It would be prudent to be selective about the programes the children are allowed to watch and the most important, the explanation as well as education and advice to them. I feel children should be allowed to grow at their own pace and not being forced to grow faster. I am sure as hell won't force my kid to grow up that fast. Innocence should be lost gradually and not robbed away.