What are the positive or negative things about being a child?

''Raindrops on roses..... and whiskers on kittens........''

As I listen to this song from the movie ''Sound of Music while sipping my cup of coffee, the song reminds me of the good old days of my childhood. " Those were the days...............

Childhood days are often referred to as the golden days of a person's life.  But how far or to what extent can this be true? For those of us who have had a normal childhood, we can certainly agree to this view while some others or the not-so-fortunate ones may differ in their views on account of their childhood experiences or perhaps seeing other such underprivileged children exposed to the trials and tribulations of the harsh world.  

Let us first view childhood from a positive perspective.  We all long for a tension-free life far away from the world of hectic schedules, endless meetings, complicated targets and a load of responsibilities both at work and home.  We see our kids happily playing some pranks or chit chatting merrily. That is when we reflect upon our childhood days and remind ourselves of the positive aspects of being a child.   A child is a bundle of joy to everyone in the house as he brightens up the atmosphere around, creating positive vibes.  His face reflects innocence- a face that is unknown to the material aspects of this world, unaware of good and evil, unaware of the definition of stress.He is the most happy-go-lucky guy on this earth during that phase of his life. 

Not forgetting the endless love and attention showered upon him by one and all and having the best of things including the necessities such as food, education, a comfortable home under the protection of his near and dear ones,  a child gets to see the brighter side of the world.  He also gets a chance to explore new things in his life such as making new friends at school, having fun with them,  enjoying school life, participating in extracurricular activities and achieving a reward for his efforts in the form of praise or gifts.

Let us now consider the darker side of childhood.  Innocence can be the best thing or even the worst thing while being a child.  On one hand, innocence is bliss. The child being unaware of the complexities of life tends to be stress-free as he has nothing complex playing up in his mind. However,  innocence about the good, bad and ugly could rob a child of his basic childhood or rather deprive him of his rights as a child.  Innocence is what the harsh world takes over as we see it in the form of malicious adults exercising advantage over innocent children in multifaceted ways.   Child labor is one of the cruelest manifestations of this.  As per the 2016 National Child Labor Survey, child labor has been and continues to be a serious issue that needs attention as the year sees a prominent number of children who are employed in jobs that may be potentially hazardous by nature.

Another very sad aspect of childhood that can be seen is child abuse.   According to WHO (World Health Organisation), Child maltreatment is a global issue that could have serious long-term consequences. Although recent national surveys have been conducted in this regard in the various low as well as middle-income nations of the world, much more are yet lacking as far as sufficient data on the same is concerned. 

However,  several organizations and individuals have come to the forefront and joined hands together while taking that much-needed stand to fight for the rights of children. NGOs have been playing a crucial role in their attempt to eradicate and save the child and their future. This gives us much relief as we feel that justice has been met at least to some extent, though a lot more needs to be done.  The number of Child helplines should be increased both nationwide and worldwide. Schools should educate children about their rights and thus make them aware of it.   

Thus, the negative aspects of childhood can be converted into positive ones.  Each and every child should get what he rightly deserves. He deserves a better future. He deserves to be happy. 

'' Indeed, a life full of dreams and aspirations

A life sans all the worries of this world,

A life filled with curiosity and adventure

Life with endless riddles yet to be untwirled.......''

                  -(my definition of childhood, inspired by my childhood days)