When We Were Young...

The past two days had been tiring for me. It was about helping my juniors to run a day camp for approximately 30 children ranging from primary one to six. And boy, it was not easy to handle children who do not listen. They scream, play, run, fight, ever seeking attention and made our jobs harder than it should be. They grabbed my hand, constantly pulling me. They called my name a million times just so that they can have their voices heard, knowing that I would listen to their exaggerated achievement such as building the 'ultimate' paper glider. They asked me questions that are rather personal like, "Do you have girlfriend?", "Why can't you speak Chinese?" or something like, "Who do you like?". Harmless questions but when they bombard you with them again and again, it can be pretty annoying to repeat or explain my answers. Some just babbled words I could not comprehend, others willingly talked about themselves when they have the chance to. But most of the time, they would just mingle with themselves by 'fighting' as in playing but with fists flying around and ended it with laughters instead of tears.

I thought to myself that maybe kids today are fast changing. If I could describe kids in general in today's era, I would brand them as 'gadget-savvy bunch of dwarves, ever quick to terrorize without regard for others or personal safety, frantically demanding for attention, severely lacking in proper graces that it can drive one into madness just by the shrill of their voices'. Well, it applies mostly for the boys but don't ever count girls out because they too have different set of problems, just that they are less evident. Looking back when I was a kid, I believe I was not as rowdy, perhaps there was a lingering aura of fear that a disciplinarian was around and bound to know my mischief should I misbehave and of course, the consequences of overstepping my boundaries. It seemed that the boundaries today are blurred as kids grow up with a lack of parental discipline, constantly showered with tender loving care, candies and spoilt with all their demands met, thanks to parent's unassuming concern to provide the best for their children.

Maybe kids believe that as they live in their world, everything that they do, will not have much implication to others around them. They are only concerned in fulfilling their self-satisfaction, deriving fun from the process such as 'fighting'. Whatever the case, as parents, they should educate or instill some social graces such as respecting their fellow kids without inflicting pain, keeping quiet when someone is speaking and to give some respect to those older than they are. How? First, by practicing some rules or social graces within family and reminding them when those rules are broken. Second, slowly adapting them to the outside world using the same rules wherever appropiate. And lastly, monitor their progress to find out if they still follow those rules when parents are not looking. In time, it will be easier for the kids to relate such situations with the ongoings of the outside world, apply those rules and who knows, encouraging others to follow suit.

So much mention about the terror of kids nowadays that I think it is only fair that indeed, there are a few who are capable of showing some form of respect and gratitude. In my case, after the camp ended, a girl came to me as others made their way out and she said, "Thank you, 'koko' (not sure if that's the correct word to say brother in Chinese) for the biscuit." The fact that she approached me and thanked me, showed that she was grateful and brave enough to express it when others simply took it for granted. I did not expect to be thanked but that one gesture from her made me write this entry. She was the only one out of the 30 children who actually thanked someone for the effort we put in for this day camp. Now, that is reason enough for me to trust that there is still some form of social grace that kids today can display. It gave me the hope that there will be others just like her and helped me realize that what I did for the camp do make her day more pleasant. Just one biscuit as a consolation prize; hard to fanthom that it could make me smile. But it did...

This post is inspired by "Theme from Dying Young" by Kenny G.