Be Very Careful

I had just done a practical English test with my students. They were asked to compose a story out of series of pictures given. There are three characters on the pictures, one female and two males. At a glance, the series of pictures reminded anyone to the story of Pirates at the Caribbean.

One female student came up and did her practical test. Unlike most of the other students, she came up with a story of a prince who saved a princess from another prince. The "another prince" was the one looks like a pirate. In the end of her story, the prince managed to get the princes alive.

There is nothing wrong by composing such a story out of the series of pictures given. However, that particular female student's facial expression while doing the practical test made me to think of her exposure to stories of prince and princes.

Any kind of exposures faced by a child when he/she grows up will definitely mold his/her characters and point of view. I believe any psychologists would agree with it. This is why as an adult, either being a parent or not, we have to be really careful in whatever we are giving, showing or doing to children at their golden years of learning.

The following example might not be representative enough, but its worth discussed.

Being born in 80s, I was exposed to group traditional games such as lompat tali, gobak sodor, pasaran, engklek, jek-jekan, rambol and many more. I learned a lot on how to mingle with others, solved any problems I might encounter with friends, worked together as a group, and lots of useful skills to face the real life. These skills are quite difficult to master for the present children I've met. When I asked them what are they mostly doing out of school, I found out that they are not exposed to similar kind of games as I did. Instead of going to their friends house to gather and play group games, they would stay at home and play electronic games by themselves or with their siblings at the most. Though, few of them do hang out with friends, they are mostly spending the time to go to malls to watch a certain movie or dine together. These might be the answer.

One simple thing I worry the most is the present children's sensitivity. Spending their time most of the time with siblings and family only, or by themselves at the worst, cannot really help them to be sensitive with their surrounding.

I am not saying that things about the prince and princes are totally bad for them. I am thinking of the opposite instead, whats the good things of those prince and princes exposure to children?