“MY PARENT’S LOVE”

it shall be well

                                            

All fates a chance its either good or bad. The beginning they say could justify the end. It is rather sympathetic when children of my “group” are forced to pry into the intricate web of life. This everyone would agree with me would eventually end us being frustrated on the fringes of these challenges.

Then  I ask should I be guided by what cassius told Brutus in Shakespeare Julius Caesar that men at sometimes are masters of their fates and that the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves? So how can I survive when I live in a home where I am only seen but not heard?  For how long would this nightmare possess the sky?

Since my arrival as a child into this world, the piercing cumulative winds of intimidation has been the air I inhale. I cannot tell whether it is an anathema, malediction or denunciation that was tagged on me.

I am never regarded by my parents not to speak of the people of my place of birth; a place where my umbilical chord rotten; a town where my grandparents grave can be located; where the DNA of my ancestors can be traced. They all see me useless because my parents marketed me as such. When a man calls his basket useless children would use it to collect rubbish, I do not blame my people, it's my parent I might blame.   Yes I have been a victim of child abuse even though I was never beaten or molested. I have been frequently depressed and unable to feel good about myself. I  feel   I  did not know who I  was, or what my purpose in life was.

My name is kodzovi the only son of parents who always have their final say in my issues regardless my point of view. Am never allowed to do certain things,a child out youthful exuberance would do to bring out his/her potentials. I have always been kept indoors and my voice is not worth to be heard in our “home”. Notwithstanding all these I have tried to confront all this predicaments in a sturdy scheme of mind but the more I tried to wake up from these oppressions the more I felt like a drowning man with no straw to clutch.

My dream is to become very great in future and anytime this dream occurs I feel of a ray of hope and a gleam of delight showering on me. But in the midst of all these feelings, I found out of experience just as NJOREGE that our real world is more cruel and unjust than our dream world that while we hoped we hoped for the future one also had to face problems of the presence.  

 Simply stated, Child abuse is the bad treatment of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caretaker, someone living in their home or someone who works with or around children. Abuse of a child is anything that causes injury or puts the child in danger of physical injury. Child abuse can be physical (such as burns or broken bones), sexual (such as touching of private parts or incest), or emotional (such as belittling or calling the child names). Neglect happens when a parent or responsible caretaker fails to provide adequate supervision, food, clothing, shelter or other basics for a child. Child abuse is any action (or lack of) which endangers or impairs a child’s physical, mental or emotional health and development. Child abuse occurs in different ways. All forms of abuse and neglect are harmful to the child. Indeed my abuse was an emotional one.

In 1999, an estimated 3,244,000 children were reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies as alleged victims of child maltreatment.  Child abuse reports have maintained a steady growth for the past ten years, with the total number of reports nationwide increasing 45% since 1987 (Nation Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse (NCPCA) 2000 Annual Fifty State Survey).

Children they say are born as a ball of clays to mould into what they are able good or bad to enhance who they are and to carry on the person they are known to be.  I was able to survive mine but I don't know how others might end up becoming, I plead with all parents and guidance   to create that enabling state for their wards devoid of depressions. The finest asset any child can have is a happy home,   such environment will enable him to develop strength and stability of character thereby teaching him to face the future without fear or panic.

A great percentage of juvenile problems can be traced to faulty home education and unwholesome influences in early childhood. Undoubtedly there would be a fewer juvenile delinquents if there were more homes where children are being catered for.

Remember;   happy   parents   create happy homes; happy homes produce happy children; happy children   make happy communities and finally we make a happier world.

"vie nye awu" an EWE proverb which means literally ;child is cloth.

AKPABLIE-KINGNOBERT