THE greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren are not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith. A saying by one of the greatest Christian evangelist Billy Graham.
As I write the city of Baguio will be having a competition of the day care centers celebration of children’s month, an activity that has been postponed because of the series of vacations and typhoon that hit our city. Together with Glenn Gaerlan and Princess we were the judges for our District in selecting the ones to compete in the city wide show. It was a very exciting affair for the parents, teachers and day care children.
The competitions included the cultural dance, the poem, the vocal solo (acapella) and the draw and tell to be performed by the day care centers. We had 11 day-care center in the district but not all participated in all events and even those who participated, some of the contestants in vocal solo and draw and tell got staged fright and left the stage before performing their pieces, at least I saw two cried. As we were doing the selection, we were enjoying ourselves seeing the children dance and perform; all the contestants did well in the group dancing. They had some difficulty doing the individual performances notwithstanding the loud constant reminder of the organizers no coaching, no talking, no clapping, hang on to your children.
I think the draw and tell should be encouraged more, as the children have a way to express themselves on how their parents take care of them, or they talk of their family and what they do. One girl mentioned that even when she was in the womb, the mother took care of her and another child mentioned that their parents take care of them when they are at home; they bring them to the church and the school. Some kids drew buildings which are either rectangular or in a triangle design, some drew people and one girl drew a heart and inside is where the family and the buildings were included. The imagination of the kids were being developed as they express themselves in the art and the ability to explain what they were thinking when they made the drawing.
It is amazing what children can do given the proper guidance and mentoring. Those times of teaching them to develop their abilities and the proper character building activities will go a long way. My classmate Debbie posted in Facebook that today the youth are in need of subjects like GMRC ñ good manner and right conduct ñ that we had during our elementary days decades ago. Many commented that it is true that the youth of today have concentrated on their gadgets that they have lost touch with the world of respect for elders, community service, volunteerism etc. Elders of today lament that our youth have lost their common sense.
United Nations Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
In November 20, 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Since 1990, November 20 is the Universal Children's Day. It encourages parents, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporations and media professionals as well as young people and children themselves to play an important part in making Universal Children's Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.
In the Philippines, the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) is the focal inter-agency body of the Philippine Government for children. It is mandated to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of all laws; formulate, monitor and evaluate policies, programs and measures for children.
Republic Act No. 10661 declares every November as the National Children’s Month with the CWC, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Youth Commission (NYC) as lead agencies to instill its significance in the Filipino consciousness. A child-friendly and child-sensitive society where every child fully enjoys his/her rights.