When children begin experiencing joy in Krishna Consciousness, they easily give up any activity which is not good for their healthy and happy life. Taking good care of children is important because children is God’s gift to the parents and also to the world.
But if the parents are neglectful and do not give proper guidance to the little ones then there is great possibility that they will indulge in self-destructive habits.
Srila Prabhupada always wanted that children should be given best care. He was very fond of children. We have seen videos and pictures where Prabhupada is surrounded by kids, and he is distributing sweets to them.
Taking care of children an important service
In a letter to his disciple Srila Prabhupada writes that taking care of children is a great service. “I am so glad to learn that Candramukhi is getting Krishna Consciousness from the very beginning of her life. This is the advantage of her previous life’s advancement in Krishna Consciousness. Please take care of your children and make them perfectly Krishna Conscious. That is very great service.” Letter to Nandarani — Tittenhurst 30 September, 1969
Devotee parents in Iskcon following the guidelines of Srila Prabhupada give lots of love and care to their child. They make sure that children’s physical, mental and emotional needs are taken care properly. And they also inspire their kids to practice devotion to Krishna and also ensure that their children experience joy in Krishna Consciousness. .
It has to be understood that children are neither forced nor coaxed to become a devotee of Krishna. But when they start personally experiencing joy in Krishna Conscious activities they become a devotee of Krishna.
Parents also make sure that whatever natural talents kids are having is used in the service of Krishna.
Krishna can be served in many ways – through dance, drama, song, music, art, craft, poetry, prose and so on. Children may already have these gifts and if not then they can quickly be inspired to learn them.
In Iskcon during festivals and cultural programs we see children participating in large numbers and showcasing their talents.
But if children do not get these positive engagements, then they will surely find some other means of engagement which is many times harmful.
Children pick unhealthy habits when parents have no time to them
These days since parents are busy so they do not have time for their kids. So, in order to keep the kids busy they hand them mobile. They do not realize that this little electronic device if not handled with intelligence can turn into a Frankenstein monster.
There are many examples of children getting addicted to mobile and parents face a tough time to deal with them.
There was a case of a three-year-old child in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh who was suffering from bed wetting. Upon examining, the doctor found that the child was so addicted to his mobile phone that he did not even go to bathroom.
He spent almost eight hours daily watching cartoons – Doraemon and Motu Patlu. He developed this habit because his mother used to give him mobile phone to keep him busy while she did her household chores.
The doctors at the Bareilly hospital said that the child is not alone who is always hooked to mobile. The hospital received 39 cases in couple of months of children and adolescent between the age group of 10 to 18 who now only prefer to live in the virtual world.
They spend hours playing online games, watching cartoons or chatting on social media. The doctors say that the parents are to be blamed because it is they who expose their child to the cyber world.
Doctors blame parents for children’s harmful habits
Dr Ashish Kumar, a psychiatrist at the hospital, told TOI, “In majority of the cases, it came to light that parents provide mobile to their children at an early age to keep the kids busy so that their own work is not affected. This later becomes a cause of addiction and bad behaviour among children.”
Children needs time and many parents these days are busy in their work, so they do not give much time to their child. To keep children busy, they give them mobile to play video games or watch cartoons. When children are at home then non-working mothers prefer watching their favourite TV serials than spending time with their children.
Children who spend long hours on phone start neglecting their studies and also sleep. They eventually start living in the virtual world and start comparing their lives with the people they meet on social media.
It is extremely important that children get a healthy atmosphere to grow. Taking care of the child is the most important responsibility of a parent.
Taking care of child more important than deity worship
Once when Srila Prabhupada came to know that one of his female disciples is not properly taking care of her child then he immediately wrote her a letter saying that for her taking care of her child is more important than doing deity worship.
“For you, child-worship is more important than deity-worship. If you cannot spend time with him, then stop the duties of pujari. At least you must take good care of your son until he is four years old, and if after that time you are unable any more to take care of him then I shall take care. These children are given to us by Krishna, they are Vaisnavas and we must be very careful to protect them. These are not ordinary children, they are Vaikuntha children, and we are very fortunate we can give them chance to advance further in Krishna Consciousness. That is very great responsibility, do not neglect it or be confused. Your duty is very clear.” Letter to Arundhati — Amsterdam 30 July, 1972
Srila Prabhupada has set a standard for all the mothers and fathers of Iskcon – Taking care of your child is your most important responsibility. And this is not only applicable to Iskcon devotees but in fact it is the duty of each and every parent to make sure that children have healthy engagements for their overall healthy growth.
Iskcon’s children program for happy and healthy living
Understanding the need of the society Iskcon has come up with programs especially for children. The purpose of all these programs is to help the child grow in a healthy atmosphere so that they can realize their true potential and lead a successful, happy and value based happy life.
Iskcon organises quiz based on scriptures like Bhagavad Gita in which many schools participate. Along with this there are weekly programs for them and during festivals there are many cultural programs in which several kids participate enthusiastically.
The programs have been successfully going on at many Iskcon centres all over the world. Iskcon New Town Kolkata also organizes program for the kids and many parents are showing keen interest in enrolling their kids for such enlightening programs.
And by participating in these programs children begin experiencing joy in Krishna Consciousness and easily give up habits which are unhealthy.
