For most of history, people have viewed children as the embodiment of innocence and hope. They are a special gift from God and, in Christian teaching, they have God-given value, worth and identity (Psalm 139:13-16). They are to be nurtured and cared for by parents and guardians who teach them the ways of the Lord and how to live as God’s children in his world.
Children can be challenging to raise, but they also bring joy and laughter into the lives of adults. They have a fresh perspective on life, an openness to new ideas and the ability to take risks. They want to play and learn — and they love a good story!
Storytelling, whether orally or with text, teaches kids language and develops their imagination. It introduces them to new words at a time when their brains are predisposed for language development and teaches them how to use them in new and interesting ways (metaphors, colloquialisms, word pairings, puns). In addition, reading stories with kids helps them practice auditory processing — the ability to accurately process what they hear and understand spoken words.
The importance of children has always been recognized by the world’s major faiths and by international organizations. For example, in the late 19th century, the Victorian upper class emphasized the family’s role as the primary caregivers of their children and the sanctity of childhood, giving rise to the genre of children’s literature with such classics as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Eric Carle, author of the beloved children’s book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?”, spent a year in Germany during World War II, where he hid from conscription into the army because he did not want to be a soldier and wanted to stay with his mother in America.
At the 1990 World Summit for Children, world leaders affirmed that children have the right to survive and thrive in a safe and healthy environment. Since then, tremendous progress has been made on many fronts, including reducing preventable child deaths, ensuring access to schooling and ending extreme poverty.
In the early 2000s, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals to improve children’s health, education, and economic prospects. More recently, the UN system has put a strong focus on children through the work of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; the International Labour Organization; the eradication of deadly diseases such as measles and polio; and the global campaign to end child slavery and sexual exploitation.
However, much remains to be done to ensure that all children receive the protections guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must continue to work together and keep up the momentum of progress to end violence against children, eliminate malnutrition, improve access to water and sanitation, and ensure that all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential. The future of the world depends on it.