RAISING LEADERS FOR TOMORROW

BY DEBORAH K NKOBANE

 

“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all the world’s problems at one, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own”. Michelle Obama

August being a month for women places an emphasis on females and their capacity in the different roles that they play. Women can play the role of mother, wife, daughter, teacher, nanny, counsellor, comforter and many other roles that could be assigned to them in different occasions. Women are tasked with the challenging task of raising leaders of tomorrow.

This is not an easy task as the children of today are faced with many challenges like bullying, peer pressure, sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy etc. Women need support and knowledge of the challenges the children face in their lives, to be able to assist them as they come across them.

A woman plays an important role in laying the required foundation for a child to grow and realize the dream to become a leader. It is important for women to understand the developmental stages of children, their emotional needs and to be there for them when they need you.

A child who is caught between the separation of their biological parents will need additional assistance to get through the experience. The attachment in their environment is compromised and this child feels alone and a need to choose sides.  The child might even feel responsible for the negative occurrences within the family. The child will need a social worker to understand, support, and assist her through intervention to get through the process. This child might wish to be a doctor one day to help people, yet finding herself/himself in a situation which hampers the potential to become a doctor. As a woman and a social worker it is my duty to conduct a socio – emotional evaluation to find out about the child’s emotional well – being and give the parents feedback and refer the child for therapy so that the negative experiences could be dealt with and the child can adapt to their new life and transcend to chasing their dream of finding their place in the world and accomplishing their dream.

A woman is described as strength of life, the rock of family, the gentle heart to her children, the tears to her parents, the joy to her soul mate, the inspiration at her work, support to and love of her friends, the mystique in society, the leader of love and life but she remains human. She cannot raise a child in isolation. She has a need for assistance. A man has an exceptional role to play in accordance with women in raising a child to reach their potential in being a leader future leader. It is important that they communicate accordingly and give messages of affirmation to assist the child in reaching their potential.