Avoid turning school break into child labour season

DAR ES SALAAM: THIS time countrywide, school are closed for short holidays. That blissful time when children are home, the house gets a little louder and somehow, they are relaxing from the routine classwork.

But let us get serious, parents and guardians. As the short school break rolls in, let us not forget who children are: kids.

Not business partners in the streets, not political analysts and definitely not domestic workers on an unpaid internship.

First off and we say this with love, your 12-year-old should not be helping you push a wheelbarrow through traffic shouting, “Buy one, get one free!” Sure, times are tough.

Everyone is hustling. But using your child as free labour in your hustle is not only unfair, it is illegal.

More importantly, it is a fast-track ticket to destroying their self-esteem and robbing them of their childhood.

They are children, not co-founders. Let us also address the not-so-glamorous trend of sending kids, especially girls to the urban areas as ‘house girls. Don’t do it. It is not noble.

It is not responsible. It is child exploitation dressed in family clothes. “But they will learn responsibility!” some may argue.

No, they will learn how to mop floors, cook for ungrateful adults and possibly face emotional and physical abuse while still figuring out algebra. Give them chores, yes.

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Turn them into junior employees? Absolutely not. And while we are at it, please keep your kids far, far away from political rallies. Campaign season might be exciting for adults, full of drama, slogans and branded T-shirts.

But for children, it is risky. Crowds are unpredictable.

Speeches can be inflammatory. And if things go sideways as they sometimes doyour child could end up in the wrong place at the worst time.

The only manifesto your 10-year-old should be studying is the one that helps them pass next term’s exams.

Then comes the final but critical piece: the neighbourhood. But if your child is “just hanging out” with the shady guy who always smells like trouble and speaks in hushed tones while checking over his shoulder… we have a problem.

Drug peddlers don’t wear name tags. Smokers won’t ask your child’s permission to influence them.

Idling with the wrong crowd can turn your child’s future into a headline and not the good kind. This is not paranoia. It is prevention.

So, here is the deal: love your child enough to protect their present and their potential. Don’t let short holidays be the beginning of long-term damage. Instead, engage them.

Get them into reading, community activities, safe holiday programmes, or even just family chores that