Childhood

"Heaven lies about us in our infancy," says Wordsworth. According to him, a child is a seer and a philosopher. A child may not be a philosopher, but certainly, he has in him saintly qualities of innocence, love and joy. He is free from malice, hatred and vice. He loves everybody who loves him.

It is said that a child comes from heaven. As such, he has all the heavenly qualities in him. The earth acts as a foster-mother to him and offers all the beautiful temptations and allurements to humour him. In course of time, he forgets heaven, his real mother (or home) and is fully absorbed in the worldly affairs. All the vices of this world take hold of him and virtually he becomes a fallen angel.

Childhood is the golden period of ones life. A child is loved and taken care of by his parents. The parents try their best that the child eats the best, wears the best and gets the best education they can afford. The child is entirely free from worries. It is none of his business to think of and work for earning money. He is fond of play in which he tries to keep himself busy as much as possible.

In childhood, there are some draw-backs. A child is not free to do whatever he likes and go wherever he likes. He depends upon his parent for everything. Sometimes. he cannot express himself properly and has to suffer a lot. Some foolish parents tell their child terrible things and they fear ghosts, thieves, snakes etc.

In India now much more attention is being given to child health and education. Still, it is not enough. Still, the girl child is greatly ignored, especially in poor families and rural and tribal areas. The sex determination tests have played havoc with the girl children. Even their right to life is taken away from them before they can see the light of the day. Childhood is the other name of heaven. Let us substantiate it.