By Fortune Abang
The Founder, Zanang, an NGO, Mrs Maryann Shekari, on Wednesday called on parents to teach children to become role models by showing them good examples.
Shekari made the appeal at a one-day fashion exhibition, titled: Option one-concept True Stars, in Abuja.
The Option one-concept seeks to encourage young people to believe and imbibe the attitude of role models who will do all they can to achieve desired goals in life.
According to her, the idea of bringing up children to become role models will promote the culture of excellence among young people in society.
So, children can express themselves for who they are; there is so much potential imbedded in children, therefore the need to encourage them develop such skills.
We want children to be encouraged to imbibe the culture of excellence in whatever they are good at, which they want to become in life.
Zanang means talent; there is so much talent deposited in children, which is thenreason we want this platform to encourage talent development among children at their early stages of life.
It pays when parents teach their children to become role models to their peers, rather than make them always dependent, she said.
Also speaking, the Co-Founder of Zanang, Mr Rijo Shekari, said that the move to bring up children to be role models had become imperative to help reduce youth indulgence in crime.
He said children could become models for good morals irrespective of their body size, weight or colours, adding that as role models they can hold good behavioural patterns early in life.
We live in a society where most people are often after Instagram likes and comments and, other negative comments that even affect teenage mental health negatively.
Modeling is a good tool that can be used to encourage children to express themselves, be confident and not subject to body shaming, whether they are tall, short, big or small.
We live in a world that is not just about what you know, but talent, how you can communicate, therefore the need to bring up children to become models in their act of expression and dress sense, he said.
Shekari therefore appealed to the Federal Government to overhaul the nations education sector through review of the school curriculum, to enable children compete favourably with their peers globally.
In a separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a parent, Mrs Bose Olarenwaju, said that the first step to teaching children to be role models was by dressing.
According to her, parents need to dress properly as first models before their children, because their appearance reflect what children think about them at the home front.
Teach children to be confident by putting on their dress to look decent, because it is through what they put on that will make people to know how to address them.
The problem in our society today is equally from parents who have gone wrong teaching children to put on skimpy clothes.
When you teach your child to imbibe good morals by showing them good examples, particularly in the ways you appear and do them, they will follow such good steps to become models.
The highpoint of the event was fashion exhibition by young people through display of variety of decent articles of clothing that are suitable for children as role models. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Source: NAN News