That is how all humans start out in life. Pure. Not a hint of badness anywhere, and you can't even imagine there being any negative traits in the future when you consider a tiny toddler. For all intents and purposes, all babies come into this world with positive prospects and nothing less. This is reflect in the names that parents give their children. In general African culture, there's a belief that when a baby is born with its fists clenched, it is holding on to its future, and a positive future at that.
As I said, this is how all humans start out. Including the "bad" ones. Each and every killer out there was once a cute baby. Every rapist, every pedophile, every hijacker, every armed robber, every con artist. They were once cute babies with nothing but good prospects. This is something which has always scared me. Go to your nearest creche and look at the bunch of toddlers on the playground: chances are that amongst the future doctors and engineers and accountants and pastors, you're also looking at the future convicts and gangsters and prostitutes. As hard as it may be, look at your own young child and consider their future as well. I've always been bothered by this. Where and when does the switch happen? At what point does a person look at the grandmother who raised him and think it's okay to force himself on her?
I think most people just find it easier to look at "bad" people and just assume that they've always been bad and they were always trouble makers even while young, but this is certainly not the case. Adolf Hitler himself, he was once a cute little baby at some point, he wasn't born with a desire to kill all Jewish people. And the logical conclusion to reach is, all negative people we see today are a result of society. All criminals are a result of their family structure. Sure, things like poverty and disease will exacerbate the situation, but at its core the roots of all such things are in the family and society.
In my own family, I've seen this dramatic change. I have a younger cousin that I grew up with, few years ago he was a cute child who cried at the slightest scratch and was never violent: he was almost everyone's favourite. Today, he's a school dropout, he's already been in jail a few times, and has had a taste of public justice due to his criminal ways. Five years ago, nobody would have imagined that he would turn out like this. I have a 4 year old nephew, without a doubt my favourite person in the world and he's as smart as they come. I can't even begin to imagine him growing up to be less than a role model to everyone around him.
But it all depends on us, society. We shape the future leaders and the future sluggards. We shape the future teachers and criminals. I wish that people would consider the kinds of adults they're going to raise before even considering making a child. Truth is, most adults are nowhere near equipped to raise another human being. Unfortunately, there's no qualification or screening required for you to make a baby; even the "least qualified"of society can contribute to population growth. You can't control other people, but you can control yourself. Think about the kind of parent you're gonna be. And if you've already made that baby, consider very well if you're raising someone you'll definitely be proud to call your product 30 years from now. Raise a man who will know the value of woman, and respect them enough to never even consider harming them.
Of course, I don't have a child of my own so I can't say I've got it figured out. But the least we can do is make sure that we're doing a good enough job. After all, raising another human being is the biggest responsibility you're ever gonna have. If you make sure that you're qualified at your job and you're the best you can be, what stops you from doing the same with your child?
I rest,
Mzwandile
