Let Nature Nurture

Parenting examples in the wild have some take-home lessons...

- Bryan Havemann

We are living in an age where kids are growing up far too fast − they are pressured into becoming more responsible and to act like adults way too early. One needs to take a leaf out of nature’s book and look at how important the initial stages of life are for animals, in order for them to learn how to play and to enjoy the world while under the protection of the adults.

It has been said that the first seven years of a child’s life are the formative years, and that their future behaviour is shaped by this stage. I am saddened when I see families driving in a game reserve where the only one focused on the bush is the father who is driving. Meanwhile, his wife sitting next to him is on her smartphone checking Facebook and sending WhatsApp messages to her friends. The children on the back seat are playing games on their own smartphones or PlayStations, and the only animals that they are showing interest in are the zombies and werewolves they are mowing down in their pretend world.

As parents, we have a major part to play in how our children will turn out one day when they, in turn, are adults. Human babies are born helpless and totally dependent on their parents for everything. Even as toddlers they cannot fend for themselves, and have to rely on their parents or guardians for sustenance, accommodation and security. Kids also need large doses of love, and where this is lacking, the negative effect is very obvious.