7.  No Such Nomemclaclure as Less-Priviledged/Under-priviledged Children

All children are born equal. None is born more priviledged than the other. By the cooperation of the primary and secondary caregivers, a child must have access to 6+1 Supports, which are critical to his/her development, namely:

(Psychology/physical) Support

Nutritional Support

Health Support

Education Support

Shelter and Care

Protection Support

Economic Support

The foregoing supports are not PRIVILEDGES. They are RIGHTS, whichevery child, who has breath MUST never be denied of. Where they are denied by their primary and secondary caregivers, they are not less-priviledged or under-priviledged. They are THE ABUSED…THE DENIED.

They are DENIED of their DIGNITY of human person…They are DENIED of their GOD-ORDAINED Destiny and the primary and secondary caregivers must be held responsible…They must not be allowed to wish away their responsiblity by merely refering to these children as the less-priviledged or under-priviledged as if they come from their Maker with the derogatory label.

8. The foundation of child psychology is child socialization

Psychology is defined as ‘the science that deals with mental processes and behaviour and the emotional and behavioural characteristics of an individual, group, or activity.’The psychology of the child is a product of the sociology of his community through the process of socialisation.

Socialisation means ‘the adoption of the behaviour patterns of the surrounding culture.’Socialization is the ultimate responsibility of the custodians in the life of the life of the child. This requires knowledge, wisdom and skills.

9. Whatever you Don’t Like in Your Child Today, You Put it There

Children are not born with any self-concept, whatever they have become today; they learnt it from us as primary caregivers and the secondary caregivers we exposed them to. Example is superior to instruction. Long before children understand instruction, they already understand examples. When we are tired of what we do not like about them, we will remove it, not through ‘discipline,’ yelling or canning but by admitting our errors and deciding to change our example.

‘You are your child’s role model. Bill Gates wrote the shortest foreword I have ever read to his father’s book, ‘Showing Up for Life’ thus,Dad, the next time somebody asks you if you’re the real Bill Gates, I hope you say, “Yes”. I hope you tell them that you’re all the things the other one strives to be.’ Though it is short, it is loaded. Please give it a thought.

10. The Goal of Discipline Must be Child Protection

The term “discipline” comes from the Latin word “disciplinare,” which means “to teach.” What is the first thing, we are to teach our children? I think the first thing they need to learn is to be conscious of their dignity of human person. I think the first thing we must teach our children is honour. That is, to let them know that they are people of honour and that being young does not mean being stupid; being young does not mean being weak and being young does not mean being irresponsible. This is the foundational tool of self-respect and self-protection.

Understanding the foregoing solves the problem of METHOD. I submit to you ladies and gentlemen that when we understand that the aim of discipline is child protection, we will discover that MOTIVE is superior to METHOD. The question, we will always ask is does this method help me to protect my child or teach him/her how to protect himself/herself.

11. The Joy of Having Children is how they are Raised

The real joy of having children is not that they are born. What we make of them is what matters most. If giving birth to children is the real joy of children, we would not have had Hitler, Ted Bundy, Idi Amin and Lawrence Ofigbo Anini.

The real joy is to raise our children right. Every child is born to our world to be a blessing but the primary and secondary caregivers, through training make them a blessing or menace. What are you making your children into today?

12. A Child Beyond Parental Control is a Final Admission of Parental failure

Some parents take their children to social welfare claiming the child is beyond parental control. Funny enough, my father once threatened, while growing up in Ado Ekiti that he would take me to social welfare.

Permit me to submit that taking your child to social welfare or throwing in the air that your child is beyond parental control is an admission of failure as parents. You child is a product of your training. Therefore there is no such thing as a child beyond parental control; they are only parents, who do not know how to put their children under control.

13. Think the Child…Think Today…Think The future

Our mandate for Child Protection is summed up thus, to bring to the front burner of the conscience and consciousness of individuals, private and public institutions in Africa, the PROTECTION, RIGHTS and RESPONSIBILITIES of the child for due respect IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD.’ This mandate is built on the philosophy that enlightenment is superior to enforcement, which I have already shared with you here. ‘Enlightenment is superior to enforcement’ is the philosophy, ‘Think the Child! Think Today! Think the future is the payoff of the philosophy. My goal is to put the child, his rights and responsibilities permanently in your thinking. I want the thoughts of the child to be in your consciousness and conscience that you may do all and at all times in the best interest of the child.

I believe that to get you to do this, I must get you to see the present and the future of the child. I want you to understand that what you make of the child today is who he becomes tomorrow. I want to remind you that the future of the child begins today and we must do our best under God to protect same. I want to highlight the proverb that ‘we do not inherit the world from our forefathers; we borrow it from our children’ and the state in which we return it matters to our children and their collective destiny. That is why I call on you this day to Think the Child…Think Today…Think The future.

Meet the Child Protection Conscious Caregiver

EVERYTHING in life produces after its own kind! Guess that is why Mahatma Ghandi said, ‘YOU must be the CHANGE YOU want to see in the world.’

‘Great advances have always come from ideas; ideas do not fall from the sky; they come from people. People write the software, design the products and start the new businesses. Every new thing that gives pleasure or productivity or convenience is the result of human ingenuity.’ Stanford University economist, Paul Romer

Once YOU are personally responsible in CHILD RIGHTS/PROTECTION, YOU create a PRECEDENT OF POSSIBILITY, YOUR PRECEDENT OF POSSIBILITY will create a CONSCIOUSNESS OF CHILD RIGHTS /PROTECTION among your observers and a CONSCIOUSNESS OF CHILD/ RIGHTS PROTECTION will produce MANIFESTATION OR IMPACT

NOTE THIS: Nothing Changes around YOU, until YOU CHANGE

How do Become Conscious?

YOU must make it a point of duty to find yourself…

Robb Thompson says, ‘You are either a prisoner of your past or a pioneer of your future.’

For embark on this journey of self-discovery, I strongly advise that YOU Take RESPONSIBILITY to take the following 5 steps:

• Accept and love yourself that you are and know: If you do not love yourself that you are, you will never love yourself that you hope to be become. Love is NOW.
• Identify positive and negative impact of your upbringing: do not live in denial. Open your heart, face your past and decide to identify positive and negative experiences.
• Identify the requirement for healing

o   Desire: Motivation for healing

o   Knowledge: What to do

o   Skill: How to do it

• Subscribe to the healing process
• Submit to the healing process

Oath of Commitment to Child Protection

Dear LORD,

Is there a CHILD YOU want to save today?

I mean a CHILD YOU want to lift.

Is there a CHILD you want to befriend?

I mean a CHILD YOU want to love.

Is there a CHILD YOU want to love?

I mean a CHILD YOU want to protect and perfect.

Is there a CHILD YOU want to bless today?

I mean a CHILD YOU want to honour.

Is there a CHILD YOU want to send an angel to?

I mean a CHILD YOU want to help.

Is there a CHILD YOU want to give direction by YOUR SPIRIT?

I mean a CHILD YOU want to comfort.

Is there a CHILD YOU want to visit?

I mean a CHILD, whose story YOU want to change forever.

Yes, dear LORD,

I know there is a CHILD YOU want to reach;

I mean a CHILD YOU want to reveal YOURSELF to in the FLESH,

As a FATHER, who daily and generously LOADS

His CHILDREN with BENEFITS and TREASURES.

So, here I am dear LORD,

Made in YOUR IMAGE and LIKENESS,

Don’t look too far.

SEND me,

I am GOOD TO GO,

I mean I am LOADED TO GO.

I am a BLESSING,

A JOY of MANY GENERATIONS

I beg to sign out here. By God’s grace, I will be back here tomorrow as I begin a fresh discussion on  So You Want To Send Your Child to The Children Department of Your Place of Worship: Ask these 10 Child Protection Questions. Do have an INSPIRED day. I charge you today to Think the CHILD…Think TODAY…Think the FUTURE…