“The community raises the children.” This is one of the first cultural norms that our contact Rachel explained to us when we began serving with her here in Mozambique. She told us that it is socially acceptable, and actually expected, for adults in the community to offer guidance and correction to children in the community, regardless of guardianship or relation. In Xia Xia Mozambique, child rearing is a responsibility adopted by the entire community. This does not negate the responsibility of parents to care for and teach their children, but expands the child’s circle of influence.
This got me thinking about what role, if any, the community at large plays in the lives of the children in the states. While in our American culture it may not be socially acceptable to discipline or in some cases to even remark on the actions of other’s children, and this is definitely not a topic that I wish to debate here, we need to realize that the community does in a sense raise all children.
Children are sponges! They pick up on far more than many of us realize . . . including things that we likely wouldn’t intentionally expose them to. We ALL share in the responsibility for what the children in our communities are exposed to in their interactions with us on a daily basis, whether it be at a restaurant, the grocery store, the park, on a public street, or anywhere else that they may come into contact with us. The parents and the caregivers of children are not the only ones children mimic. They observe more than many of us realize and as I said before . . . They are sponges!
When I think about my nephew Avery and my niece Lilly, who I’m biased to consider the two most adorable and precious children in the world, I know that they pick up so much from their interactions from me . . . even the things that I may not want them to notice. This is the same for children that I don’t know that I encounter in public. My words and actions WILL have an effect on the children in my community and with awareness; I can choose to make mine a positive impression.
I want my impact in the lives of Avery and Lilly and all of the children in my community to be a positive one. I would ask that each of you consider your impact on the children in your community: when you choose what to wear, what music you play, the words you speak, and how you respond to others. You may be the only positive influence in the lives of some children! We have the opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life; without making extreme changes or great efforts, we can minister to the children of our communities. Live out your life as an example of Christ’s love and society WILL be affected.
Things children are exposed to will affect their future choices and behaviors, which will in turn have an effect on our future society. What do you want our society to look like? Does that vision require you to make personal changes? If so, what are they and how can you begin to implement that change today?
