By Kimone Witter
A clergyman is asserting that if the nation’s youth are to learn how to better manage their anger, those in authority in the society must set better examples for them to follow.
Reverend Neilson Waithe, Lecturer at the United Theological College of the West Indies, says many of the violent acts played out by young people across the world, stem from them being put down, shut down and bullied into not expressing their emotions.
Reverend Waithe says some parents provoke their children towards anger and violent crimes.
But he has acknowledged that parents are struggling to manage their children’s activities.
“The cell phone is what our young people have. So parents and guardians and teachers have to manage children, and the community is not as supportive as it used to be. So peacemaking is more difficult now than it was 25, 30, 40 years ago. It is more difficult. And so when I hear people blaming parents, blaming parents, blaming parents, how much can a parent do?” he admitted.
Reverend Waithe has called for a deliberate effort from adults in making peace.
“One of the issues that often stand out [is]… if I recognise that I did something wrong, am I willing to go to my child and apologise? How many parents are willing to do that? That’s a challenge. You’re wrong, but you’re not able, because you think if you were to do that, then it belittles you in front of the child. No, it helps the child to know that you are not perfect, that we all make mistakes and it is important for them to know,” he asserted.
Reverend Waithe was speaking at the closing ceremony of a week-long peace initiative dubbed Voices for Peace, at the Sacred Heart Academy in Christiana, Manchester recently.