Are rewards undermining passing good values?

We live in a world where most of our responses to questions depends with the monetary value that comes with it.

We are all familiar with this statement; what is in for me? The world has in some way taught us that being good deserves something good in return.

For someone to genuinely offer assistance is questionable. Even the ones being assisted will ask, “are you sure there is nothing you want in return?”

It’s sad that we are passing the same traits to the younger generation. It has become a difficult task to literally tell a child to do something without s/he asking, ‘alafu utanipea nini?’
Children are now growing up knowing that every act of good has to have a monetary value attached to it.

In our efforts to please the child and create a “favorite uncle or aunt” tag, we are unknowingly grooming stupidity.
The child grows up with the same mentality to the point that they become rebellious when we do not have something to reward them.

Proverbs 22:6; Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Training involves three things; mentorship, molding and affirmation.

Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person.
The adults as mentors have in some way failed to guide the younger generation.
Mentorship is a deliberate and an intentional process, we must go out of our way to ensure we are passing the right values to the children.

Molding involves shaping and bringing out something in your desired form.
In as much as we want to mould, we must be careful on how we shape them. It should be more of willingness and not coercion.
Reassure the child that it is all for his/her good.

Affirmation involves identifying something unique or good in a child and constantly encouraging them.
Most children will end up having self esteem issues if we are not careful to call out the good in them and affirm them.
It is important to let every child know that they are unique in every way.

The burden to a raise a better generation lies with each and every of us. Right from the parents to the gardener, to the home managers, to the teachers and the society at large.

As a country, corruption has grown very huge wings and flying as high as it can possibly get. Trying to stop it has proven to be an almost difficult task.
We who are people of goodwill have the responsibility of passing the good values to the younger generation.

These may not have an impact immediately but in the long run we will reap the fruits of our labor if we do not loose heart.