If any one does not provide for his relatives, especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever – 1 Timothy 5:8
THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS are here once more and they will bring many different feelings for many parents/guardians and students. I am sure that teachers will have a restful vacation and will recharge their batteries.
For some parents or guardians it will be nine weeks with many headaches, especially for those who cannot afford to send their children to New York, Canada or the United Kingdom or to summer camp. Let us be honest and frank and realise that all children cannot and will not be able to attend summer camps becauseof the finance.
Parents who have lost their jobs or are not working as yet will be wondering how they are going to send their children back to school and where is the money going to come from to outfit those many children for the new school year.
There will be joyful parents whose children will be going to new schools in September and whose children passed the Barbados Secondary Schools Entrance Examination for the school they were hoping for.
My advice to all parents and guardians is to find something worthwhile for them to do during the summer, especially those teenage ones.
You must do what my dad – who was a carpenter or joiner – did with us. He made us help with preparing the furniture which was for sale.
It is sad that the parents of today are not doing what parents of yesterday did. What a pity. They would ask a tradesman – carpenter, mason, mechanic, et cetera – from the district to take their child and teach him or her a trade. The Government cannot do it all.
Our children of today have too much free time on their hands. Lest we forget, the Devil will always find work for idle hands.
Please keep them away from the sea unsupervised and please do not give them your motor car while you are at work. Children can be led astray by friends.
I do hope that everything goes well during the summer holiday for parents, guardians, teachers and the students.
