THE school holiday is once again upon us.
It is that time of the year that we spend time with our children, the love of our family.
It is also that time of the year where parents and guardians guide their children in their own homes and ensure the best care is provided for them to keep them occupied during the two weeks break.
Two Sundays ago, Palm Sunday was celebrated across the country, an annual opportunity where children are allowed to lead church services on this special day.
The Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma had its Palm Sunday theme centred on the discipleship of young people in relations to the effects of social media, internet and illicit drugs in our community.
The church may be commended for coming up with such a theme that reflects on the lives of people nowadays.
The use of social media and illicit drugs are two of the most talked about issues in our community today.
It is affecting not just adults but children and youths are also the most targeted.
At the Palm Sunday sermon, children pleaded to their parents and elders to relook at their lives and embrace a godly-centred family which would ensure love, peace and unity in their unit.
It was just emotional to hear children plead to their elders about the importance of embracing love, respect and unity as they, as children will carry this with them when they grow older.
Children spoke about the many changes happening in our society nowadays.
In one of the sermons, they stressed about their parents spending more of their time on Facebook while children are given gadgets to play video games during their spare time.
They noted that less time has been given to important family time and more focus are directed towards social media.
It seems this is happening in the comfort of our very own homes.
It is high time that parents and elders relook at their roles and responsibilities in their families because their children look up to them for timely advice, care and love.
The Fiji we are living in today has had rape cases every month, assault cases, thefts and many other criminal cases before our courts.
It is also sad to note that some of these are happening within the comfort of our own homes and the perpetrators are in one way or the other related to the victims.
We seriously need to look at ways in which such unwanted activities could be stopped but the main area of focus should always be our family.
Family is the beginning of every journey on this Earth.
When a baby is born, he/she grows up surrounded by the love of her parents.
This love should continue and maybe the way a child will learn to respect and love others.
Parents and elders need to realise their roles and work towards achieving a common goal – that is a peaceful Fiji which has a breed of children who respect, love and work in unity.
We all need to work together and monitor our children during the two weeks break and spend more time with them instead of social gatherings.
If we can all do it, there is no doubt that our children will be great leaders of Fiji tomorrow.
Let us all unite and work together as members of a big Fijian family for the love of our country.
