Let no child be left behind

Now is the best time. The reason I say this is very simple. I often see on Facebook the younger generation expressing frustration at their partners’ betrayal. They do this just to get sympathy. Some go to extremes, drinking excessively, getting addicted to drugs and some even show suicidal signs. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to them. We are all humans and we understand the problems, but I don't accept this attitude.

Why should we downgrade our social status which each of us builds with honesty, sincerity and hard work? It takes years of combined effort to build a place, but one minute to destroy it. We must not do the same, as we are family-oriented people and have certain values. We don't want to lose our values within seconds because of such foolishness.

Now I would like to question couples who have broken up. Did you see in the status of your ex-partner, that he or she is already with someone else? If so, why are you waiting for a go-ahead? Make him or her your yesterday. Hold the present and fly high like an eagle in the blue sky, with endless possibilities for the future.

Life goes on so does yours. Take a challenge, stand up, be bold.

Let me add a small story of a relative's son. He bought a phone for his girlfriend with his hard-earned wages and gave it to her as a gift. She used that phone to talk to other friends, and finally married one of them. The one she married was much richer than the boy who gave her the phone. Do you get the point?

As guardians we can do a few things for our kids in such situations. Tell them the story of your personal life, similar problems that you overcame. Be friendly with them, be helpful, listen to them with attention, interact, and make suggestions, not orders.

Mothers can be game changers with love and affection, which is most needed in this situation. If a young person is not improving, take him to a therapist. They will calm down his stress and he will gradually recover. Depression is a dreadful disease. Don't ignore its consequences as that could be devastating.

There are simple things to avoid. Never be rude, never shout or raise your voice in anger. Don't stop paying tuition fees. Don't throw him out of your home. Don't speak bad about him in front of his siblings and don’t tell them not to mix with him. Don't cut him off from his friends. You can’t afford to make mistakes in this situation as you may fail to correct the young person and and in the worst case scenario, we may lose an innocent life.

Children are the most precious gift from Allah SWT and at all times we ask His mercy to keep us well and safeguard our children.

Our hearts fill with pain and sorrow when we see innocent homeless children on the street. There must be plans to improve the lives of these innocent children. It no fault of their own that they are on the streets, not in school, that they hold begging bowls in their hands, not pencil and paper.

It is imperative for the government to pick them up from the streets, give them shelter and arrange their schooling where they can learn math, science, Bengali and practical work skills for future livelihood. There are a lot of NGOs in Bangladesh and they should prioritise such programmes to prepare these kids for a better future and a better society. The government should initiate a kind of programme to ensure no child is left behind.

If they children grow well like other kids, our society can do better and we can attain peace and prosperity. If we don't take care of these homeless children, they turn to misdeeds and even crime.

We are responsible for their development. If we fail, our society will reverse the growth of the country and more people will fall below the poverty line. Our sons and daughters deserve better.

* Lablu Kazi writes from New York