Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Teenagers on the loose



hello ladies,

If there is one place i love hanging around in Harare , it's Avondale Shopping centre.I love its location: It is not too far from the CBD and yet no too close to make it a traffic nightmare. I love the fact that it can be, in a lot of ways, a one-stop mall! You can get your hair done in descent salons, do your shopping at probably the largest and trendiest flea market in Zimbabwe for anything you can think of adorning yourself with, buy groceries, after comparing prices from several grocery shops there, go and watch a movie inthe old fashioned way in what I consider to be the the best movie-house around: 7 Arts! Then if there is still time, you can ocuppy one of the nice outlets for a cup of cappuccino and pina colada and engage in ladies' talk!However the time spent there has led to my disillusionment which is the focus of discussion today. Because of its cozy ambience Avondale shoping centre is frequented, just like many trendy shopping malls around Harare, by the 'youth brigade'. There are so many teenagers walking around in skimpy outfits and tight jeans,smoke puffing away from the human chimneys throughout the day till late into the night. Don't get me wrong ladies, i am a huge fan of skinny jeans and gladiator shoes, but we all dont have kim kardashians body....

But seriously, i am disturbed by the sore sight which is the invasion of this place by these young kids engaging in all sorts of behaviour I view as not only immoral but very harmful to the well-being and growth of these youngsters. I am mainly concerned with the girl child due to the harmful things she may be exposed to at these tender ages, though I am not by any means suggesting that male teenagers and young boys have a limitless licence to have fun!! . Sometimes you see them smooching on the bonnet of the automobiles, oblivious of passerbys and old men salivating from the drivers' seats of the latest V8s prowling our roads,with windows down, waiting to pounce!Call me old-fashioned  but i still believe in stricter and more disciplined parental care. Certain things outght to be no-nos for our girl children.. We need to remind ourselves that the girl child is the most vulnerable in our society today. It is vital that we do all we can, and should do to empower the girl child of the peculiar dangers of things they can be exposed to through our gender and development programs and training. We need to make our kids aware of the dangers out there, which they can be exposed to all in the name of fun.  Gone are the days when children were ignorant, now they are exposed to the television technology and the internet .
At the same time adolescent girls are using fashion as a factor in their peer groups acceptance, and parents need to be aware that teenage peer groups are of paramount importance. The values of a teen's friends will be reflected in the teen's behavior, and this appears to include dressing and fashion. and the way these girls are dressing is attracting the wrong men, who by the way are on the prowl, no wonder they dont hasite to park their cars infront of Nandos waiting and this is hapening in broad daylight!!!!

And then there is the issue of tatoos, ladies please! this seems like the next big accessory, and to think that a tatoo is a permanent thing. And has anyone even cared to find out if these Tatooists are proffessional, our children need to be made aware of the dangers of these procedures and the potential harmful exposures.The equipment used to create these tattoos, if contaminated with infected blood, can lead to the contraction of various bloodborne diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tetanus and HIV — the virus that causes AIDS. All in the name of pursuit 'coolness'.

We need to take it upon our selves to protect the girl child and every schools' guidance and counselling classes should do more to address these issues.

So let me know of your thought on these and other issues. 

Otherwise, my love to all of you ladies!!!!!

Ms B

Thursday, October 7, 2010

C'mon ladies


I was talking to a friend of mine recently who is a mother of two very sweet girls. She raised a point on how we women are so quick to judge each other on parenting. Its very unfortunate but as women, we might have different ways of raising our children but at the end of the day, what we want is for the best for our children. Whether other women or mothers are judging , it does not change what kind of mother one is .Often other mothers judge each other because they feel insecure themselves. So we shouldnt worry what others think because we cannot control their thoughts, and they are probably over compensating for their own perceived flaws.
So ladies, instead of judging, lets  encourage each other because at the end of all this, we are trying to raise a future generation that is God fearing and will make this planet a better place. And you never know, that person you are judging, might be raising your future daughter or son in-law!