Recently, I saw a most unfortunate sight. A mother was helping her son of less than 7 years old piss on the wall of a store at a busy intersection in the middle of the day. I want to make sure that I point out every significant issue of this situation.
1. It was a busy intersection, which means there were numerous people who witnessed the action. Also, there were numerous businesses that were open and all able to provide a bathroom for a mother who's son needed to use the facilities. With a quick glance, I was able to see bodega's, restaurants, home furnishing stores, supply stores and many other establishments that had a restroom.
2. It was the middle of the day so the action was very obvious and people could easily see. Since the action was taking place at a busy intersection, there were pedestrians, cars, and bicyclist who all received a bird's eye view.
3. The mother was seemingly proud at helping the boy hold himself as he urinated on a wall.
I must also admit that I am making quite a few assumptions, one being that the woman was his mother and not a sick individual, as well as the boy being less than 7 years old. I was not able to verify either assumption, but between my wife and I, we were confident that both were/are true.
There are so many things wrong with this picture that I do not know which problem is worst, but I will only use this space to talk about the foundation that exist for this boy. A mother who feels that it is okay to deface other's property, that her son doesn't need to find proper facilities to urinate, the lack of respect for self and others in doing such a private act, publicly, and the simple disregard for societal norms, all seem like the wrong signals to send to a boy of his age. To make matters worst, all that I have just named are only the surface of the issues that surround this boy urinating on a wall
How will a teacher be able to change this training? How will a mentor be able to change this training? I would love to have gotten out of the car, introduced myself and just followed the boy for his life. It was very clear to me that the odds of this boy becoming successful were diminishing right in front of my face. I just wonder what will happen later? Will it be the school's fault? Will it be the fault of an absentee father? Will it be the fault of society?
It needs to all start at home. The decisions that his mother makes, will impact him for life. The fact that she not only condones, but also participates in such actions, indicates a lot to this child, who will only later compound other unfortunate scenarios. No one has more impact than a person's family, especially a person's mother. I don't care if the mother is present or has previously abandoned the child. (How many people are searching for their mother's love - which is an entirely different and more complicated topic) A mother is the beginning of any person and I would argue has more impact than any father, therefore if a mother is not providing the necessary tools for her child then I would argue that her child is going to have a lot of obstacles throughout life.
The foundation is very important for a building. It doesn't matter how tall, solid, beautiful a building looks, if the foundation isn't done properly the structure will ultimatly crumble. The same is true for humans. The family structure is the foundation for every child and if a mother or any guardian is not properly guiding the lives of their children, ultimately that child will become an adult with many problems. I only hope that someone comes into the life of that boy that I saw on the street, because it is clear that his current foundation is a little shaky.
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