Children not getting the help they need

THE EDITOR: “Good Lord, what is wrong with these children?” “These children must have consequences for their behaviour.” “Who doh hear mus’ feel.” “Young people today have no conscience.” “Yuh make chirren but yuh doh make dey mind.” Loud noises coming from adults who seem to think that these children came on this Earth before they did.

Children are born into a way of life that is already in place. This is culture. The way of life of a people: what they eat, how they speak, how they dress, how they behave, their values, attitudes and beliefs are prescribed for them from birth. Therefore we must understand that culture nurtures conscience.

If we say that our children have no conscience it means that the culture into which they are born is not providing them with the “positive prescriptions” or the “prohibitions” they need to nurture their sense of what needs to be done to maintain order in their lives.

Conscience is the ability to review one’s conduct, motives or character or to develop and improve the mind through education and training. When the conscience is nurtured another definition of culture emerges, which speaks to the quality of a person or society.

Of course, we now have the drug culture, the gun culture, Carnival culture, corporate culture, and the culture of diversity, popular culture, all of these being subcultures — minority cultures that are part of a majority or macro-culture.

I do feel for our children who are not given the tools which will help them to make wise choices as they try to move through the maze of life in TT. They need help and are not getting the help. Many have to wait six months and more for a psychological or psycho-educational assessment, which will help parents to understand what is preventing their children from being the best that they can be and really want to be.

In TT we have this “ignorant” saying that has come into the 21st century from the uninformed age of centuries past. “You make children but you do not make their minds” is an adult mindset that continues to feed the attitude of a society which refuses to accept responsibility for children’s behaviour.

If our children are “criminals” it is because adults who have the responsibility for creating the nurturing environment in which they would thrive and become productive and mentally-healthy citizens are not living up to their responsibility.

We know what we need to do to “fertilise” the earth to grow healthy vegetables, fruits and meats to provide us with nutritious, healthy meals that help us to be physically strong but we do not know what we need to do to grow mentally-healthy children who display strength of character and who will provide our society with a positive and solid foundation for future development. There are tried and true approaches out there that can be used.

I heard the question being asked: “Is there a conspiracy to keep certain groups in their ‘place’ at the bottom of the barrel?” I just stood in my shoes and wondered and remembered that I am the eternal optimist, who will continue to believe in, live and work against all odds in this my beloved country.

ANNA MARIA MORA

counselling psychologist

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"Children not getting the help they need"

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