Voices from the Streets Part 15- A Little Child Shall Lead Them
By Nixon Dickenson
In this week’s article in the series Voices from the Streets, I would like to share a very positive conversation that I was privileged to have with a little boy named Aden and his two friends during the Easter break.
Aden is one of my mentees and I observed him and his friends in action on this particular day as they were chasing after the wild donkeys. The carefree nature and the big smiles on their faces showed me that they were having a good time. I also observed that none of the boys seemed to have any devices with them; no cell phones or tables were visible.
 This observation sparked my curiosity to find out why this was so. I greeted Aden and his friends and asked them how come they were enjoying the outdoors during their vacation break, when most children their age were at home locked into their device screens. Aden’s immediate response to my question was a very profound one.
He said that they looked forward to school breaks so they could be free to play and enjoy their favourite outdoor activities. He said that there was nothing more enjoyable than chasing the wild horse, fishing on the Front Street or in the creek and going swimming.Â
Aden shared that although he enjoyed playing games on his devices, there was nothing more enjoyable than riding his electrical scooter, shooting hoops with his friends and developing his basketball skills. He believed that spending too much time on these devices would only prevent them from enjoying their beautiful island and having wonderful childhood experiences.Â
Aden’s friends also chimed in and nodded their heads in agreement, and I could also sense their desire for us to hurry the conversation along so they could resume their outdoor fun. As I listened to Aden and his friends, I was filled with a wave of emotions reflecting on very similar days of my childhood.Â
We had no time for idleness and petty grudges as every boy and girl was busy trying to outdo each other fishing, Bat and Ball, flying Kites ,Vacation Bible School ,swimming, and catching horses. We were our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers as we picked and shared the wild sea grapes and cooked our fish over a makeshift stove consisting of rocks and leaves.Â
There was not a child who could not shoot marbles or who did not know how to play the well-known games of hopscotch, or ring play to a brown girl or brown boy in the ring. Any sign of dispute or sound of quarrel was quickly resolved before an adult had to become involved as we knew this would surely mean the end of our fun.
Could it be that parents need to spend time ensuring that their children appreciate and enjoy the beauty of nature around them, instead of allowing them to fall captive to their device screens? Are we as a nation allowing our children to become so overpowered by the use of technology that they are missing out on their childhood?
As I watched Aden and his friends running off to enjoy the rest of their Easter vacation, I could not help but think of the familiar proverb ‘a little child shall lead them’.