BENEFITS OF EQUIPPING THEM.

Uncle T.S has been Sharon's lesson teacher for over 4 years, so, Sharon's mother didn't think there was any problem leaving her with him to get some few things from the mall.

She'd told them she'd soon return and allowed the class continue, rather than end it abruptly. And in any case, it was the first time she was leaving Sharon at home with her teacher.

Uncle T.S had always secretly sought an opportunity to be alone with Sharon and for him, this was a dream come true.

As soon as the mum's car was out of the compound, Uncle T.S told Sharon he wanted to teach her a game. Blowing the trumpet, he called the game. Curious, 7 year old Sharon said she was interested to learn.

Glad that she'd indicated interest, he reassured her it was a very interesting game that she will enjoy. So, he quickly pulled down his zipper, to reveal an erect genital and asked her to blow it.

Shocked, but calm, Sharon told him to zip up and cover his private part, because his private part was private to him and she wasn't interested in seeing or touching it, not to talk of blowing it!

T.S was shocked that as young as she was, she was already equipped to prevent being sexually abused. Ashamed, he apologized to her and pleaded she didn't report to her mom or anyone.

Sharon agreed, especially as she thought he could harm her if she didn't agree to his request. 

Not long after,  her Mom returned and even got some snacks and drinks for Uncle T.S. As she handed them to him and made to go inside, Sharon called her attention. 

She told her there was a game Uncle T.S tried teaching her when she was away, and invited her to join her to learn it, as she asked Uncle T.S to teach her.

T.S was embarrassed and ashamed of himself as he started stammering. Sharon then told her mom all that happened in her absence.

The Mom gave a loud cry that attracted her neighbours and before one knew what was happening, T.S was slapped here and there and taken to the Police Station.

We are better for it when we equip our children with age-appropriate Sex Education. You'd be a very interesting parent or educator if the children under your care do not know anything about Sex Education in times like this.
(Copied)

The Right Schools For Your Loved Ones

Hi folks, 

As part of our initiative for great academic and moral upbringing of the Nigeria /African child we will be providing info on various schools and initiatives aimed at giving parents and guardians leverage on key decisions we will be making concerning school, environment and safety of our children

First school to kick start this move is "Thames Valley College".

Hope you find it enlightening. 

Warm Regards..

Eseoghene Adeniji...B.sc, M.sc (UI)

INTRODUCING THAMES VALLEY COLLEGE:

Thames Valley College prides itself as the unique face of secondary education in Nigeria. We are a purpose-built co-educational international school with full boarding facilities, offering Nigerian and British Curricular.

Located in a serene and aristocratic environment, we boast world-class facilities that are second to none; well-equipped Science Laboratories and special rooms for Basic Technology Workshop, Art Studio, Music Room, Home Economics Room, an international standard multipurpose Sport Complex, a half Olympic size and Baby Swimming Pools and a Gym.

Learning here takes place in many shapes and forms. Our seasoned and experienced teachers are fully aided to cater for the learning needs of the 21st century child, ensuring learning takes place with the aid of the interactive whiteboard in all the classrooms. Our students are given the freedom to participate fully in Sports Drama, in Leadership activities, Vocational Education and also in Quiz, Debate and Public Speaking.

Premised on "Others May Choose the 'A' Students; We Choose to Produce Them." We individualize learning, beaming our attention on the learning style of each child. Our academic reform strategies, such as Team Teaching, Progress classes, Writing Clinic, Mentor-Men-tee Sessions, ensures every child receives maximum learning attention.

We have carved a niche with our Seven Success Life Skills; an encompassing experience in Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Effective Oral and Written Communications, Creativity, ICT Savviness, Initiative and Entrepreneurship, Agility and Adaptability.

We believe every child has a bright future if properly and carefully guided. That is why at Thames Valley College, we turn every child to a star that keeps shining. We warmly welcome you to visit our school and discover firsthand what makes Thames Valley College education so special.

For enquiry, kindly visit our website on www.thamesvalleycollege.org or

call Fatimat: 0818-847-4249 or Ronke: 0814-636-9297

Learn Pantosaurus’ Five Easy Rules For Staying Safe

Privates are Private

Your underwear covers up your private parts and no one should ask to see or touch them. Sometimes a doctor, nurse or family members might have to. But they should always explain why, and ask you if it’s okay first. Remember, what’s in your pants belong only to you.

Always Remember Your Body Belongs To You

No one should ever make you do things that make you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. If someone asks to see or tries to touch you underneath your underwear say ‘NO’- and tell someone you trust and like to speak to.

No Means No

You always have the right to say ‘no’ – even to a family member or someone you love. You’re in control of your body and the most important thing is how YOU feel. If you want to say ‘NO’, it’s your choice.

Talk About Secrets That Upset You

There are good secrets and bad secrets. If a secret makes you feel sad or worried, it’s bad – and you should tell an adult you trust about it straight away.

Speak Up, Someone Can Help

It’s always good to talk about stuff that makes you upset. If you’re worried, go and tell a grown up you trust – like a family member, teacher or one of your friend’s  parents. They’ll say well done for speaking out and help make everything ok. You can also call on 08001111 and someone will always be there to listen.

Remember all of these rules and they’ll help you stay safe, just like Pantosaurus.

The Innocence of A Child - Protect It

Just last term, a school staff noticed a girl of about age 9 entering the visitor’s toilet in the school after school hours. Shortly afterwards, her driver went in with her. They both came out much later. She said it didn’t occur to her that something fishy was going on till they came out looking uneasy. She regretted not investigating when the driver went in after the girl did. This is why we always call for perpetual vigilance by all child handlers.

Grandfathers also abuse their grandchildren, yes! Grandfathers! On the outskirts of Lagos, a grandfather was caught on top of his granddaughter in an incidence that shocked family and neighbours.

Biological Fathers and step-fathers too abuse their daughters, and the most appalling, some mothers know their husbands are molesting their daughters, yet they turn a blind eye because they don’t want to break their marriage.

They also claim it’s because they are not financially independent.

On a radio station recently, a girl called in that her dad was abusing her and before she could say another sentence, we heard her yell out ‘daaaaddddy’ and the phone went off.

Obviously, the dad had yanked the phone off her!

Another heart-wrenching case of a woman, a PhD holder who lost her 5 year old child to gonorrhea a few years ago, is still fresh in my memory. Her husband, had been molesting their two biological daughters; the 5 year old and a 13 year old. It was when they developed the symptoms that she found out that he had been molesting them for a while. She got him arrested but the next day, he was released by the police!

Mothers too abuse their sons. However, cases like this are quite few. In an African country recently, a single mother made her teen daughter watch her having sex with her boyfriend.

‘Lesson’ teachers (private tutors) molest children at home as well. Even teachers abuse children right there in the school premises too.

A teacher took a girl to the sick bay (imagine a sick bay without a nurse) and fondled her there. Even though she felt powerless to stop him, the girl got home and told her mother who went to her school the next day to report. To the chagrin of the mother, the management tried to water down the whole incidence and it caused a lot of rumpus in the school. The teacher was sacked eventually. Where is that teacher now? Your guess is as good as mine…in another school!

In a public school in Lagos, a male teacher would playfully touch the boys penis in the toilet and eventually masturbate them when they become aroused. Then, he would gather their semen with a clean white handkerchief which he would take away with him. He wasn’t discovered till one of the victims reported to his parents.

Parents also keep pornographic materials at home; the children stumble on them and begin to practice what they watch on each other. Sometimes, they watch such films at the neighbours’ and other places they go for sleepovers.

There is also peer sexual abuse , which can be heterosexual or homosexual in nature. Because their sexual appetite has been stirred too early, those who have been abused, boys particularly, get very adventurous and do what they have experienced with other children as little as age 2.

Just last year, two 7 year old girls were caught kissing in the toilet in their (private) school. In yet another school, a boy and girl in primary three were caught wriggling on top of each other at the back of the school bus.

The most common form of peer abuse is the sibling-abuse which takes place between brothers and sisters, between brothers and brothers and between sisters and sisters. This is one type of abuse you should watch out for because it is so common! Many adult female survivors of child sexual abuse report that they were deflowered by their brothers or were in incestuous relations with their cousins.

Shop-attendants and ‘Mallams’ selling biscuits and other groceries in their ‘convenience kiosks’ have also made headlines for abusing children.

One ‘mallam,’ abused several children in the same house that borders his shop. He would defile them after giving them sweets and then wipe their vagina with cotton wool, which he kept meticulously in a polythene bag. Your guess is as good as mine! What did he do with those cotton wools? Until he was caught, he was having a field day molesting those children.

To the surprise of the NGO which took up the case, other residents were ready to bail the ‘mallam’ out because according to them, ‘he is the one to protect us from Boko Haram when they storm Lagos.’

Landlords who are usually old retirees, usually sedentary and mostly indoors have also been caught molesting children of their tenants.
Strangers also abuse children. A young woman said when she was age eight she was abused by a bricklayer when she went with her parents to inspect the house they were building. Her parents were on the ground floor while the assault took place on the 2nd floor. He grabbed her and fondled her private part. It was the first time she would be meeting the man and she just didn’t know what to do.

For another young lady, it was a public bus driver who pulled at her breasts when she was about to alight from his public bus on her way to school.

For the head teacher of a primary school, it was her family doctor who abused her when she went for malaria treatment at his hospital when she was eleven years old. This doctor told the mum on the first visit to the hospital that she should send her back for check up the next day when they visited the hospital initially. So, the next day, she went alone because the mum couldn’t go with her, and then he fondled her all over.

Children in orphanages, remand homes, home for the physically and mentally challenged also experience sexual abuse perpetrated by some staff of these institutions.

As you can see, the abuser can be anyone, absolutely ANYONE! Be vigilant, empower the child to say NO to a ’bad touch’

April Is Child abuse awareness month, let's break the silence, Let every victim know that he's not alone, Help us share.

Defining Quality Education

Finland is ranked No.1 in the world in Education. What’s so great there!

• A child goes to school there only at the age of 7. The torture does not start at 2 ½ as it is elsewhere.
• A child learns from each move that it comes across in this early age at home.
• From the age of 7 to 10 the child spends 50% of it’s time in school and the remaining as vacation.
• The school timings are also less and equal importance is given to Music, Arts and Sports too
• The schools there have relaxation rooms for the children to take rest if they feel tired.
• Until the age of 13 there is no grading and no report cards for students.
• If their parents are inquisitive of the child’s progress they can apply to know that.
• Since there is no grading there is no pressure on the student to compete.
• They are not given homework. Students can do their homework in the subject of their choice.
• A doctor stationed in each school monitors their health and advices.
• Only a maximum of 600 students are permitted in a school.
• There aren’t any private schools. All are Govt. run. There is equality in education for all.
• 99% of children in Finland get primary education.
• Students who hail from a country where there aren’t exams excel in competitive exams elsewhere.
• You may wonder how this is possible. A UN research explains this…..
• UN does an annual research about the happiest children in the world. Finland stands first.
• Educationists from other countries flock to Finland to understand their system more.
• 1500 representatives from 56 countries go there every year.
• The country’s major foreign exchange comes from education tourism.
• A teachers job in Finland is highly valued .
• The teachers there have a major stake in the laws and policies of the country.
• Every third child there wants to become a teacher. But it’s not so easy.
• Only students who excel are considered for this post.
• They are given 5 years of Teacher Training, 6 months of Military training, One year of onsite teacher training, Training in the Laws and Policies, Fire service, Self Defense, First Aid.
No wonder the Crime rate is so low in Finland.
Good upbringing breeds responsible Adults.

Thoughts to ponder:
• Don’t find fault in children. Don’t hesitate to appreciate when they do good.
• No one knows what a child can become. Keep encouraging them.
• Edison was considered dumb and thrown out of school.
• Louis Pasteur was an average student in school.
• Einstein was considered an idiot in school.
• Talk to children daily about their goodness.
• Don’t compare a child with another.
• Talk about successful people to them.
• Instead of telling them how not to be, just tell them about how to be.
• Don’t curb them to the house
• Give them good examples and independence.
• If you talk to them about a bed of flower they’ll understand the path of thorns.
• Tell them about hard work. They will get to know about laziness.
• When you tell them about successful people they will understand the reasons for failure.
And for all these, we need good parenting and good governance.
#copied

Keep Your Child on the Straight and Narrow.

As parents the reality is that sooner than expected, our children will be travelling alone, sleeping alone in a room in a different state or country, be with different people we don't know or might never know. They will have to make decisions alone without our input and guidance, decisions that might make or mar them for life.

The days are drawing closer; the days we won't see or hear from them for days sometimes weeks, the days of their seeming independence from our influence and space.

This knowledge is enough to give parents the creeps. Why? ‘Cos we wonder deep in our hearts if our children are ready and can actually withstand the evils and deceits of this world. Can they really make the right decisions in deciphering a good friend from a Judas, and also not end up being a Judas themselves.

Do they have the intuition to make the very important decisions in choosing the right spouse?

Can they draw boundaries between an exciting, fine person and a godly person?

Would they be able to make that business decision, take that investment step? We wonder.

Now, it is certain these decisions would be taken with or without our consent and we need to come to terms with knowing that our children would love to prove themselves and show us that they have come of age.

Yes, we need to encourage them by giving them the opportunity and space to express themselves, the question is, are we doing this early enough or doing this late?

Some parents already allow their children to exercise their rights, they stopped pampering them and doing everything for them, at a certain age. They educate them on the consequences of their actions and also taking responsibility for their actions, and that "Sorry" can't fix everything, and that one might have to pay a big price for ones actions/inactions.

Some parents do this not because they are hard but because they know that eventually the day of reckoning will come and they try to put things right so they start early and plant the seed of wisdom in their children. 

We must be willing to allow our children make and learn from their mistakes, this will give us the opportunity to address it and correct them accordingly. We should let them know what they can or cannot have now and why and when they can or can’t have it. We should teach them that life is not a bed of roses and everyday isn't Christmas. 

We need to educate them on the value of time. Teaching them that there is time for play and time for work, time to sleep and time to be awake, time for leisure and time to labour, this is the reality of life many of us did not have the privileged of knowing, this time waits for no one.

We must teach them wisdom and restraint in all they do, teach them to respect others, to be compassionate, being contented and not complacent, teach them to develop a great self esteem, not to be proud and most especially teach them discernment.

Doing all we need to do as parents is actually preparing them for independence, when they will eventually take on life alone.

According to scriptures, when we do a good job, training up a child in the way he/she should go, when they grow they will not depart from it, we will be rewarded with peace of mind and happiness in our grey days.

Don't take up huge loans to throw lavish birthday parties if you can't afford them (if you can its ok). Instead do something small, if they ask why, take the opportunity to teach them contentment, delayed gratification and investment. 

We have loads of experience about life; we should invest this experience in them. We know students who used cars on campus and the ones who drank garri for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Today some of those garri drinkers are employers, while the car owning students are the employees. We saw students doing crazy things, belittling themselves, some ruined their future just to impress others on campus, trying to boost their self image, and by making others feel lower than them.

Things that matter to you today might have no significance tomorrow. Let's instill in our children great self esteem and wisdom to know what to do per season with their time and resources. 

We shouldn't just roll over and allow everything they demand or ask for. If they can have it and their intents is ok, fine, if not say No! And give them the reason why?

If they want a gadget, like say a laptop or phone, if you can afford it and want to, give rules of engaging the gadgets, like setting passwords for certain sites and programmes, which apps to download or games to play. In as much as we want to give them a freehand, we as the parents have the responsibility in making sure they don't fall prey to the vise of porn sites, demonic games and the likes. 

Giving independence doesn't mean a lapse of responsibility on our part as parents, everything that must stand comes with boundaries and red lines, even freedom. 

As parents teaching our children to distinguish between their short-term happiness, endurance and their long-term good is our uttermost priority because this is how they get the skill to make decisions, which ultimately shape their lives.

This is how the heavenly father guides and directs us through our journey in life: Holiness first, then after all other things will be added. There are principles to everything in life: everything that must work well, there are no short cuts.

The adage says, ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’.

Sparing the rod is not taking the time to teach, nurture and tutor children in the ways of wisdom, understanding and knowledge that will equip them for their race in life. The rod here is our own input in impacting knowledge and wisdom. Children will always make mistakes; oftentimes their thinking and foresight are myopic.

The Rod here is our guidance and counseling, not necessarily physical punishment. 

Lessons learnt in childhood will definitely last a lifetime and when/if they get into trouble and we are far away or gone, they can draw from the wealth of experience we have impacted or shared with them.

Let’s keep our children from making the same mistakes we made.

How to Teach Good Manners to Your Children

TIPS OF A BISHOP TO ALL PARENTS.

How to teach good manners to your children:

1. On entering your home, greet your children by embracing them. This should contribute to develop their sense of love and mercy.

2. Be good to your neighbors and never be unfaithful. Do not ever hurt other drivers while driving. Your children listen, absorb and imitate.

3. When you call your parents, encourage your children to talk to them. Similarly, when you visit your parents, take your children with you, the more they see you taking care of your parents, the more they will learn to take care of you.

4. When you take them by car, for example to school, do not always put albums or CD's (even though they are good CDs!) But tell them rather stories about yourself. This will have a much greater impact, believe me!

5. Read them one Bible verse a day especially the Psalms of David and the Proverbs of King Solomon. It does not take much time, but it has a very important effect on building strong bonds and their knowledge of God as well as wonderful memories.

6. Hold your head, brush your teeth and wear presentable clothes, even if you stay at home and do not get out of the day; They need to learn that staying clean and well prepared has nothing to do with going outside!

7. Try not to blame them for every word or action they say or do. Learn to skip and drop a few times. This builds their self-confidence.

8. Ask your children for permission before entering their room. Do not just hit and enter but wait for them to verbally give you permission first. They will learn to do the same before entering your room.

9. Apologize to your children if you have made a mistake. Asking for forgiveness teaches them to be humble and polite.

10. Do not be sarcastic and do not laugh at their opinions and feelings, even though "that's not what you meant" and "it was just a joke." It really hurts.

11. Respect the privacy of your children. This is important for their self-esteem.

12. Do not expect them to listen or learn the first time. Do not take it personally. Be patient and constant.

13. Play with them. Let them enjoy and enjoy your company. They will remember all this by growing up.

14. Be firm. If they need to be reprimanded do not hesitate in this direction. Correct their errors right away. Never say "oh, it's only a child" or "he will learn by growing up". No! Now is the time to learn. If they do not learn now, they will never learn.

15. Teach them to be patient and grateful. Do not give them everything they ask. Stick to your limits. Refuse certain things even if you have the ability to give to them. And teach them to say "thank you". Tell them to thank God for everything.

16. Finally, always pray for them from the depths of your heart.
Your prayers can be highly effective. The invocations of the parents are among those whose answer is answered.

No prayer can be as powerful as that of parents for their children.


May God grant us the ability to raise our children through the best behavior.
Be blessed!

Whipping of Children in Schools

Children sometimes and most times can be really naughty, even as parent, we sometimes smack them or are tempted to, this comes from frustration when we want to get them to do things properly or stop bothering us.

But like the scriptures say "two cannot work together unless they agree", this scripture connotes that we have to learn to understand one another so that we can have a cordial and respectful, fulfilled relationship with one another. This plays out at our places of work, marriage and YES, even the relationship between parents, children and teachers.

There is always a way to study someone to know how to engage them and bring out the best in them. Every individual and age group have a unique way they think and the way they expect or hope others pass their message across to them.

For children, it is patience and love

The norm of teachers beating up children and sometimes to the extent of putting marks on them in other to get them to improve in their studies have shown in greater percentage. This does not work; children have interest or show interest only things that give them joy rather than things that sadden them. When the teacher is too harsh and obviously not trained in ways to engage a child, he/she loses the child and it eventually affects his/her studies and sadly affects other areas of life for a long time. We must know that after going for teachers training courses we still need to study emotional intelligence to equip ourselves as teachers on how to handle each individual child that God brings our way. Children will be children and though we sometimes feel frustrated, we need to learn self control and not engage wrong and inhumane method of beating and abuse thinking it will produce a result of positivity and productivity.

Some teachers have been seen to overdo this, creating fear and anxiety in the hearts of the children they preside over. There is no way that child can excel at his/her pursuits.

Children hating to go to school signify an underlying problem of fear or dislike for particular teacher(s) or a bully. It will be most unfortunate if the bully ends up being the teacher.  

We are the adults and have the full responsibility of self restraints when it comes to physically inflicting injuries on children in anger, all in the name of teaching them or putting them straight. One does not want to create a negative emotional imbalance in a child that is supposed to be in ones care and ones to impact positively.

Because of this issue schools have devised other forms of punishments, disciplinary measures for children who are stubborn or otherwise. As for children who are lacking behind academically, beating and punishing them is unproductive and should be discouraged, because this will create a mindset of failure in them and might end up been a stronghold as we segregate and ridicule them (with actions and words) from others, thinking this will gear them to improve on their academics.

For academically challenged children, it is the responsibility of the school and the teachers to innovate and find other ways of getting through to them. We can't all just be one way. Some schools engage play to break through to the minds and interest of children If some schools can teach and succeed with special children, I think we can do much better with children that have no physical and mental challenges. Thinking outside the box is the answer and not physical assault to the point of inflicting gruesome injuries.

Unfortunately when this happens, what follows oftentimes is that the parents or guardians of the child come to the school premises to cause commotion and sometime physically assault the said teachers and even other teachers This is most unfortunate, because the job of raising children really rest on all, parents, schools and the society at large. Certainly, the teacher’s brutal actions should be discouraged, punished or a form of restitution demanded, but setting an ugly example of bringing thugs or security agents to physically assault a teacher is a bad example which will definitely affect the child in future  and in an immoral way.

Raising a child to think they can always call thugs to fight their battle is what we see today in our political arena and society. Don't prove your point in a wrong way. Wisdom, the scriptures say is profitable to direct us in our ways and decisions in life. Anger uncontrolled makes one look and act foolishly.

(But we must not take away the right of the parents to be upset or even angry about how in-humane their child/wards were treated by the very people that are supposed to be their custodians when in school.)

The child gains nothing positive neither from his /her teacher’s assault nor from the parent’s rash reaction to the assault. Rather the parents have taught her/ him violence, immaturity and an unproductive way of handling issues in life and not too far in the future the child might get into serious trouble trying to imitate what he/she has seen years ago while trying to get closure from someone who might have crossed them.

We must learn to take a deep breath and see how to go about issues when they come. For instance, the parents should have impacted positive virtues in the child by visiting the head of school or the individual teacher first to dialogue after which if dialogue and correspondence might have yielded no results, legal action can then be taking, or at best Forgiveness and Love.

The Lagos State government through the Ministry of Education has since signed a law prohibiting the beating of students. Physically assaulting a child is an ineffective and lazy method of teaching. Actually, any teacher that still engages in this is breaking the law of the state.

Our schools especially the ones in the inner cities should equally make sure that all laws concerning teaching and schooling are adhered to. They should constantly train their especially in emotional intelligence. These trainings really show that the schools are really interested in what we claim they stand for: educating a child and not just business as usual.

In most organised schools, the teacher knows to report the child to a group head who will deal with the issue or if too complicated will refer it to the highest authority who can now engage the parents on a one on one chat on how to sort out the issues concerning the child.

All parties are to work together to raise these little ones. They will always make mistakes and be naughty. They are not adults so the level of responsibility and expectations on them cannot and should not level up in anger to the level of pain, fear and scars.

All our hands should be on deck for this honourable herculean assignment.

God bless our efforts on our children.

66 POSITIVE THINGS TO SAY TO YOUR CHILD

1.     I’m grateful for you

2.     You make me proud

3.     Your words are meaningful

4.     You have great ideas

5.     I love being your parent

6.     You don’t have to be perfect to be great

7.     Your opinions matter

8.     You are important

9.     You are loved

10.   I believe you

11.   I believe in you

12.   This family wouldn’t be the same without you

13.   You are valuable

14.   You can say no

15.   You can say yes

16.   I know you did your best

17.   You were right

18.   I accept who you are

19.   We can try your way

20.   You are helpful

21.   You are worth it

22.   You make me happy

23.   I love your creativity

24.   Being around you is fun

25.   I can’t wait to hear about it

26.   Don’t be afraid to be you

27.   You’re making a difference

28.   I’m excited to spend time with you

29.   You are interesting

30.   I love seeing the world your way

31.   It’s good to be curious

32.   I love the way you tell stories

33.   What you did was awesome

34.   I admire you

35.   That’s a great question

36.   Your friends are lucky to have you

37.   I trust you

38.   That was a really good choice

39.   Seeing you happy makes me happy

40.   Being your parent is my favorite job

41.   I learn new things from you every day

42.   You make me better

43.   You are a good boy/girl

44.   Thank you for being you

45.   I’m so glad you’re here

46.   You look so great

47.   I understand you

48.   Watching you grow up is the best

49.   That was really brave

50.   I forgive you

51.   I appreciate you

52.   We all make mistakes

53.   Yes, me too

54.   You are very good at that

55.   You can try again tomorrow

56.   Nobody is perfect

57.   I love how you said that

58.   Not everyone will like you, and that’s OK

59.   You did that so well

60.   I’m listening

61.   That’s a very  fair point

62.   You are beautiful inside and out

63.   I love you

64.   I could never stop loving you

65.   You are enough

66.   You make my heart full

Safeguarding the Minds of Our Children.

To say that the devil is strategically after the minds and lives of the children is stating the obvious. All you need to do is look at how negativity has infiltrated the education and entertainment our children are exposed to.

Virtually every App, Game, Cartoon and current teaching methods are teaching things contrary to a child's well being. Children are starting to doubt their gender; they are more attention deficient and selfish.

These must have been what the early missionaries saw happening decades ago when they set up Christian schools. They made curriculum that was based on teaching   morals alongside the normal course work. In fact, good morals were the platform on which all other subjects were taught.

They knew to achieve this; there must be some kind of separation from what the world was demanding to be taught. Please note I said “Separation” and not “Segregation” because after setting up the schools, it was accessible to everyone irrespective of social, cultural and religious background. 

Today, the education system is almost in ruins. Morality is being taught outside God but just to follow a set of manmade rules. This erosion in moral life has affected many as it is key to the Christian faith.

Most churches and christain individuals, organisations have decided to replicate what the orthodox churches and missionaries have done, by setting up schools that are scripture oriented and can engage the minds of the children leading them not just in education but also how to navigate the ever changing world around them. A world that seems to be in contention with the norms of morality and christianity.

So, as we teach them A, B and C, engaging them in ways to stay focused, standing and knowing right and wrong is very key. Children must start to know, early enough that some things are wrong, why they are wrong and what they ought to do when faced with such, even if the majority say otherwise.

Today the enemy has devised various seemingly innocent ways to engage the mind of children, if he achieves this, the education we have so much strived to give them will ultimately amount to little.

‎Yes! We must give them a free hand to express themselves, but there is a reason that we are the parents and we are the adults. There is a reason why we are already equipped with the experience they are so yearning to find out, and this is where our responsible guidance and mentoring comes in.

"Train up a child in the way he/she should go...and when he grows he/she will not depart from it."

The obvious potent weapon of the enemy today is social media, games, TV...etc. Truthfully there is not much we can do in the way the world is going in technology to avoid or denial them these gadgets...but we must be very informed on the type of applications on the various gadgets we get for them. We must be conscious of how to activate parental guidance on their computers, tabs, and Internet platforms. There are various games and Apps that are designed to engage children in education, and mental development, while we have some equally targeting them for sinister purpose, we can no longer be naïve, as in to go out and use our hard earned, God given money to purchase a device for our children without first making sure our gift of love (sometimes indulgence)  doesn't end up a Greek one.

Note. 

There are many apps and games that are children oriented in their interface, but might expose them to adult contents in subtle ways

There are Apps and games that are designed to target their minds to pervert their thinking on various issues, norms and traditions we hold dear....

There is a way you as the parents can activate a parental guidance on your Internet Wi-Fi at home to stop them engaging in pornographic, satanic and violent sites when you are away.

Know that there are tabs today that are pre-installed with porn pop-ups automatically....so just going out and purchasing a gadget is no good enough...ask questions about pre-installed apps, pop-ups and Ads.

Even on TV, gone are the days where we watch government controlled viewing...Today the norm is cable television, and they come with various channels, both for children and adults. One can equally activate PG on your cable channels making sure the children don't indulge themselves with adult contents programme in your absence. This is not their responsibility but ours as parents and guardians.

Pls take note of the age recommendations on the CDs, and movies we download‎ and watch...if not appropriate for children, it should be kept away or not purchased at all...There is no point buying a CD that you can't watch with your children. 

Some parents have banned their children or blocked some supposedly children channels, because when they took their time to watch with the children, they discovered the programmes were not that innocent after all but very suggestive and sensual in subtle ways.

A single porn or satanic image or programme can destroy everything one has been engaged in with the life of a child. It stays intact and battles the mind for decades, unless one seeks counselling and stops viewing and believing the lies on the screen.

The Screen is the very effective way to engage billions of people in very short a time so as to pass information as quickly as possible globally. Unfortunately this is equally potent when in wrong hands targeting little boys and girls, even teenagers and adults, if adults struggle with this issues, I hope you can imagine what it will do to the mind of a 5 year old.

Our Christian Schools 

We educate children so they can be a blessing to the society. But can we truly, totally harness all the educated child has to offer when he/she lacks the morals, conviction, discipline, tact and a good heart. If and when this things are lacking the education stands on faulty foundation. We are currently in a deplorable state in our country today caused by mostly educated leaders, but no love in their hearts for the people, no vision, and no focus. Most don't even know what it entails to be in the position of leadership. “The worst kind of criminal is an educated one”.

Educating a child without morals and restraint is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

Our schools must begin to tackle this head on. We have already taught them the Bible stories, the do’s and the don'ts...Schools that want to truly engage children and see them grow up to build a prosperous nation must go the extra mile and strategize ways to educate the parents and children how to avoid lewd and ungodly content on the various gadgets that the children and wards are constantly exposed to, even in school.

We need to engage parents on ways to tackle the trend head on.

Our social responsibility should not just start and stop with teaching and school fees and the norms. We have to strife to make sure that what we put in their minds can withstand and correct the negativity social media platforms try to put there.

We must know who has the greater access to their hearts and interest. Is it we the parents, the church and schools or social trends that destroy their innocence and eventually future. If it's the latter, then the fault lies with us.

Here is a letter from grange school Ikeja GRA informing parents and guidance and generally public on the deceptive nature of some games, Apps and programmes on gadgets we purchase for our children. This shows the school's resilience and responsibilities in going an extra mile to make sure their children are not perverted by unsuspecting, seemingly innocent information on their devices and their parents. 

This is very much encouraging even coming from a private school that does not have any religious affiliation.

Don't be deceived it's an all out war out there. It's a great contention for minds and destinies of the Children. Beautiful minds the enemy plans to manipulate and pervert. Minds that will shape, direct, instruct and have power over the future. The enemy knows this, and is hell bent and resilient in efforts to destroy and pervert them.

"If we allow our children to do what they like today...they will eventually do what we don't like tomorrow"  Gbile Akanni.

The ball, as they say, is in our court.