LOVE THE CHILDREN

By Stella Osagie

Introduction

Mk 10.14

The Children are the future of the Church. It is what we put into them now that will go a long way in determining how they will turn out later. What is the kids kingdom to you? Is it just a place to keep the children occupied as the service goes on? Why do we have the kids kingdom in the first place? Why don’t we all just be in the main service?

The kid’s kingdom is more than just a nursery for restless children. It is a place where our focus is helping to plant the seeds of faith in the hearts of the children in our care. One major characteristic of our God is that he is a loving Father; love is the greatest commandment the Bible preaches. For us to instill this love in the heart of the children, as kids kingdom coordinators, we must show them first that we love them.  

 Jesus died for us because of his love. We are compelled to live a Christian life because of love.  

1Cor. 13:1-8 Love needs to be the foundation of our work with the children. Everything we do at the kids kingdom is out of love, first for God and then for the children. If we are not motivated by love we will soon burn out, and the next time we are called to serve we will refuse to come.

How can we love the children the way Christ says we should?

• Love is kind - It is easy to show kindness to someone we are familiar with but not to an uncooperative child in the kids kingdom. Working in the kids kingdom can be very exhausting especially when your region has a lot of children. The kids will not always do what you ask them to do, but we need to be kind. Watch out for the children who have one need or the other. We tell parents to give their children biscuits and some water but some still will not bring. Be kind to these kids. Endeavor to help them out as much as possible. As far as it depends on you do everything to help out and make them comfortable. You can always talk to the parents later but be gracious to the kids. Kindness can also be seen in the way we speak to the children. Let us not be harsh or raise our voices. Do not be frustrated for it may not bring out the best in the kids. Constantly use encouraging words even in correcting the kids e.g.  
• Emphasize the deed not the doer
• Emphasize the doing and the joy of doing
• Emphasize the good part of what they did.
• Avoid saying “don’t”, stress the positive e.g. instead of don’t put your bag on the floor say put your bag on the table.

      As much as possible use positive reinforcement, commend what is good and         encourage the reputation of such things.

• Love protects: The parents of the children entrust their precious gifts to our care. Loving them means we will do our best to keep them safe. Always look carefully around your environment at the kids kingdom and ensure it is safe. When a new facility is being picked check out the kids kingdom area if the adults are comfortable and the kids are not advised against taking the facility. Look around the classroom. Do you have pins on the floor? Are they naked wires? Can someone get in to the kids kingdom without authorization?

• Love is gentle . Ask yourself, “are the teachers gentle with the kids?” There is absolutely no spanking in the kids kingdom. The highest we can do is let them face the wall. If the child is extremely disruptive, send for his parents to either put him in check or he stays away from the kids kingdom for a period of time as a last resort. In some cases you have children who want to fight others. Do not allow this. It is our responsibility to protect everyone. In the babies class some want to bite. This is absolutely unacceptable. Keep that child away from the others. If it can not be controlled, call the parents. We can not allow the other children to come to harm because of one child.

Protecting the kids is not just restricted to the physical but also the spiritual. We must ensure the classes taught are well prepared. We are planting the seeds of faith in the hearts of the children   and therefore need to feed them adequately spiritually.   

Do you have teachers that are not gentle with the teacher who is not gentle with the kids? As a rule, we do not bring anyone.

• Love keeps no record of wrongs .   How many of us have children in our regions that we consider naughty? Very often we hear our teachers say, “so and so kid is very stubborn, he never listens”. We must never label any child. Children are unique and have their own individuality. Our role is to help them be their best. Help the child to overcome his weaknesses but believe that there is good in every child. No child should be labeled by us or our teachers. When children are labeled, it does not give them a chance to change for the better. Ps. 139: 13-14. They are specially made by God. There is no one who can not change. Let us not keep a record of their wrongs. Give every child a chance to excel. Forgive their weaknesses as we too are not perfect.

• Love is not rude : Traditionally, we demand that children obey and respect the elders but we do not usually make room for elders to also respect the children as human beings. For the sake of love let us not be rude to the children. Sometimes we are impolite to the children. This is not a loving way to treat children. In trying to discipline the kids do not embarrass them. Do not use derogatory remarks on the kids for by so doing, you are teaching them to be rude too.

• Love is patient ; God has been patient with us continuously we need to be that way with the children. It takes a lot to train a child; you will have to make the same correction so many times. We must be firm when we need to but please be patient. Do not lose your cool with the children. And do not allow your teachers to do so.

• Teach them about God’s love . The best way to teach the children about God’s love is to be a model of this love to them. Children will always respond to love. It is not so much how much we know but how much we care. Love paves the way for discipline. Let us go and love the little ones.