The Perfect Childhood by Anusha Seeri

    Imagine a beautiful scene where you can see the sunrise, sand beneath your feet, and waves tumbling underneath one another. What you don't realize is that this beautiful scenery is just a curtain covering what is behind it. Behind the curtain is a frightening, and horrible darkness. This goes to show that many things are meant to be happy and a beautiful time in life, but underneath there are people who have faced many challenges keeping them away from this. For instance, a perfect and happy childhood is usually exploring the world and having someone to catch you when you  fall or make mistakes. Many kids are not given a perfect home to grow up in and this can take a toll on a kid, since there is no one there to make them feel safe. 

A perfect childhood. What is that? Well there are many descriptions but one way is for a kid to feel like they are always loved. The text What is an Ideal Childhood stated that, “A child needs to feel from the very start that she or he is wanted and loved. They should grow up in the soil of affection and care. There is no replacement for that, it is the most important thing.” This is one of the most important parts of having a perfect childhood being part of a family where your parents do not neglect you to show you love. This is very hard for some kids to have especially or those without a complete family.

In the text I had a hard life by Shanaaz Mathewsit shows how almost forty percent of the children in South Africa are not raised with a father and a mother around. The text states, “Over 40 per cent of households in South Africa are female-headed; however, many children are raised not only without a father, but also without a biological mother, with grandmothers or aunts taking on the parenting role. Such alternate care arrangements can be the context for emotional traumatic experiences for these children.” This comes to show how many children can have a traumatic childhood which shows the frightening darkness. 

The same text also shows how being raised in a home where there is neglect and where parents are not there for you and there to help you learn from your mistakes. Shanaaz Mathewsit writes that, “Abuse and neglect in childhood affect brain development, which impacts on cognitive and psychosocial adjustment, increasing the risk of violent and antisocial behavior.” This lets us understand the darkness and trauma that is caused by neglect and abuse.

You see how in a perfect childhood you are loved and that shows the beauty of being a child. There are some kids without a full family or one that neglects them. These actions can cause a lot of harm and trauma. This shows the darkness behind a beautiful scene.