Our Times, Their Time, Which Are Better Days To Grow Up In?
By Okechukwu Okugo
How things have changed in this world. When I look at how children these days are growing and compare it the way we grew the contrast is beyond comparison. I remember the fun that accompany childhood with nostalgia and when I look at how today's kids are growing sometimes I cannot help it but think that there is absolutely something they are missing.
In the villages those days particularly in the Eastern part of Nigeria where I grew up I remember many games we they natives were known for.
For example the guessing games we play with seeds, covering them secretly in our hands and asking fellow children to tell us how many seeds we are having, those who fail the guess give us the same number of seeds we are covering. The aim of which is to get as many seeds as possible from others and when someone guesses correctly he or she gets the seed and then plays his or her turn. I remember the hiding and seek games and numerous other outdoor games. There were numerous games played exclusively by the females, alone, and others enjoyed exclusively by boys; and some played together.
Perhaps the most missed of the games by these modern day children is that of telling tales by moonlight.
This is one of the ways by which Africans teach their children various lessons anchoring on morals, respect for elders, doing good to others in the community, wisdom and commonsense.
At this time youngsters socialize with others at an elder's house, in the middle of the compound or at a village square. Adults gather the children together by moonlight when it is full and shinning bright around a village fire and tell stories. Men with large families gather their children and wives in front of their homes and tell stories usually known as folktales by which traditions and customs were handed down from one generation to the next.
Stories intended to prepare the children for life.
Folktales can somehow be likened as African type of cartoon films because in the tales animals fly, talk, sing and exhibit other human characteristics like bravery, greed, jealousy, honesty etc., all the things achievable with western cartoon animation.
In this type of story one character is usually wicked while the other is good and in the end goodness is rewarded. Sometimes special numbers can be used for a certain kind of emphasis like 3 and 7 (e.g.3 eggs, 7 forests or 7 seas).
Tales by moonlight played a huge role in our intellectual and social development because at the end of each tale, the adult story-teller or our parents would ask us what lessons we'd learnt from it and after we'd answered the adult will reiterate other important points we the children always missed out.
Each part of Africa has a different animal or bird that usually act as a major character in the tales; like in the Eastern part of Nigeria, many of their stories center around the wisdom of the tortoise, and sometimes bringing in the role of the tortoise's wife known by name as "Alia".
In folktales animals like the tortoise in Eastern Nigeria is regarded as even wiser than humans to teach the children various lessons
But all these native games today have been replaced with video games which most times are violent or morally debasing.
And advancement today has given children new kinds of faithful companions in the likes of smartphones, computers and laptops etc., which when not properly monitored would expose the child from very early stages in life to pornographic images/materials and the dangers of sexual predators.
How many fathers or mothers today make out time to sit by their children's bedside at night to read them good story books that teach important lessons realistic enough to prepare the children to face the world as it is today?
Do you read or tell them stories that would make them feel good about themselves but giving them a distorted view about life?
It is not mystifying that today children at a very early stage in life can take up to committing violent and heinous crimes even most times unthinkable to adults.
It is not mystifying that children today at a very early age are engaged in unthinkable sexual escapades reserved exclusively for the married fathers and mothers.
It is not mystifying that even though it is called commonsense, today is no longer common among the youngsters; while respect for elders has become absolutely strange in their characters.
Yes, though advancement is good and always expected; above all is sure to come but how I always had longed that the children of nowadays go back to the simplicity that garnished our growing up and made us we children really growing up as children we were; and not children who are now forced to grow up as adults.
Comments
There are other things children of these days are missing while growing up. At festive period, such as Christmas, young ones participate in different forms of dance to entertain people and make money, such as ATILOGWU, PEEPEE while others gather together especially the male folks to organize Masquerade. These exercises help them develop some skills. Some become good dancers, singers, drummers or even good at handling other musical instruments. Some people till date are earning their living or making extra cash from skills developed through these exercises. But these days, nothing of such happen. I join the writer in pitying our children because they are missing a lot.
Our time is really better but I am sure they can still say that theirs are better because we are not in their world. In the future, the present day children who would become parents then may still tell the unborn generation who would be children then that their own time is better just as our elders now are telling us that their time is better. Such is life.