Parents' Guide To Combating The 23 Bad Habits In Kids Cont'd. (3)

 Continued from previous one...

7. Nose Picking: 

This is one of the 23 bad habits found in children, and in adults. It is believed that high mucus concentration and boredom lead children to nose picking. Apart from the shame and social stigma attached to the practice of nose picking, it has many other disadvantages. Nose picking is associated with contracting a SARS-Cov-2 infection. It is recommended that healthcare delivery facilities be provided to create awareness by way of educational sessions or implementing recommendations against nose picking in infection prevention guidelines. Researchers in The Netherlands have found out that habitual nose picking is associated with an increased risk of contracting the corona virus. Nose picking can increase a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's and dementia by introducing bacteria into the brain. It does not, however, affect the sense of smell because the nasal cavity where the olfactory nerves are located is too high up to reach. Obviously, when the nose picker damages the lining of the nose, he/ she automatically increases bacterial access into the brain. Picking one's nose once in a while is not wrong. But, if it becomes a die-hard habit as it is in many people across the world, the person risks causing damage or developing an infection. The disadvantages of nose picking are:

a. Repeated nose picking can interfere with scab formation and introduce bacteria into the body through the bacteria that is lodged under the finger nails.

b. In some cases, habitual nose pickers can develop a perforation between their nostrils digging away at the septum, overtime. 

c. Frequent or repetitive nose picking can damage the nasal cavity.

d. Nose picking is associated with health risks such as spreading bacteria and viruses into the nostrils. 

e. It can trigger off nose bleeding.

f. It causes Alzheimer's disease and dementia in every three out of ten habitual nose pickers.

g. There is also the risk of gouging and abrasions inside the nostrils which can allow pathogenic bacteria to invade the body. 

To prevent nose picking, the following steps should be taken:

a. If the nose picker is grown up, tell him/her to desist from it because it constitutes a social nuisance to nose pick in public.

b. Each time you see the person nose picking, tell him/ her to wash his/ her hands thoroughly before doing anything. This action of regular hands washing may be boring to him/ her and may serve as a deterence to the bad habit.

c. If the involved person is much younger, put hand gloves or mittens to help him/ her in stopping nose picking.

d. Regularly cut the finger nails to the barest minimum so as to prevent wounding the nostrils to cause bleeding.

e. If the child's nose is dry, provide saline drops, humidifiers, or nasal gels into the nose to moisten it.

8. Touching  private parts:

When children are between 2 and 6 years of age, they curiously begin to explore and wonder about the things they see in their bodies. Consequently, they begin the touching, rubbing, pulling and poking of their body parts. This behaviour is common to all children! As they grow up the more, they begin to look into their private parts as well as looking and touching the private parts of their play mates. They begin to show their bodies to their friends. They touch one another freely. It should be noted that all these their actions are taken out of curiosity. Do not condemn them. All children do the same thing in most cases. When these actions of touching, rubbing, pulling and poking the private parts persist, that is when it has gone beyond curiosity. The bad habit has just been developed. Where and how it will end is not known to anyone. When you see the child persisting in this bad habit, you should do the following: 

a. Tell the child not to look at or touch another person's private part irrespective of gender difference. Others should not also do same to him/ her.

b. When dressing a child, ensure that the clothes or pants have no contacts with their private parts.

c. Tell your child the parts of the body called private part (the genitals) and why. 

Parents, guardians, and caregivers should endeavour to tell their children matter-of-factly that nobody should touch their private parts and that nobody should influence them to touch someone else's own. Tell your children to always tell you or any other family member, or trusted friend, when anybody touches their private parts or wanted to do so. Tell your child, "Let nobody touch your private part, not even my own   family members of the opposite sex should do it." There are several cases where family members tried to lure young girls who are their sisters' or cousins' daughters into sex. Some of them were successful,  whereas the others failed. Children should be guarded against sexual abuse. Once a small girl is sexually abused, it gives her a lifetime trauma. She cannot forget it nor deal with any man with respect! Sexual abuse can be physical, verbal, emotional, including kissing, holding or fondling a child in a sexual manner, exposing genitals to a child. One out of five children in Europe is a victim of one form of sexual violence or the other. Tell your child that the only time someone is allowed to touch his/ her private part is when the purpose is purely on health ground. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined sexual abuse in 2017 as the involvement of a child or an adolescent in sexual activity. Presently, the European Commission (EU) has adopted a proposal to update the criminal law rules on child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. The EU and its Member-States are working cohesively to effectively fight online child sexual abuse, and to protect victims using safequarding strategies. Children should be taught how to relate with the opposite sex. Tell your children not to allow the opposite sex to abuse them sexually. Child sexual abuse is any form of sexual abuse or exploitation perpetrated against the child. It includes rape, molestation, or exposure to sexual content. 

All children should be protected from sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, and cybersexual abuses, and grooming. What is the meaning of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, cybersexual abuses, and grooming? Sexual harassment is an unwanted sexual advances, comments, or behaviours that create a hostile or intimidating environment. Sexual exploitation means using coercion, manipulation, or force to engage someone in sexual activity for personal gains or benefits. Cybersexual abuses means the use of technology such as internet or social media, to commit sexual abuse or exploitation, including online harassments and child pornography. Sexual grooming means building a strong relationship with a child or young person with the intent to gain his/ her trust and loyalty and prepare that child for sexual abuses and exploitation. Parents, guardians, and caregivers should under-study the above things so as to understand them very well and apply such knowledge to protect their children from the sex predators and pack of wolves. If not, your children will spoil right in your eyes. 

9. Lying:

Most human beings tell lies for one reason or the other. Children are human beings too. Hence, they are not exempted from the bad habit of lying. Lying is the chiefest of all sins that people commit because it is used to cover up wrong things, hide and thwart the truth, and make bitter things to become sweet, and sweet things to become bitter. It is used in making dead things look lively and vice versa. There is no thief who does not lie. There is no corrupt President of a country or State Governor who does not lie. There is no fornicator or adulteress who does not lie. Therefore, the sin of lie is the bedrock and mother of all unrighteousnesses. Lying is is by far more dangerous than most sins that people commit. This is because it makes people to be deceived, misled, misinformed, trapped, and killed. 

It prepares a false foundation and makes someone to labouriously build in vain. It promises light and gives darkness at the end. It vows to give people life wheras it intends it give them death! Therefore, it is a great evil in the lives of men and women across the world, and greater evil if it is found in children who are still depending on their parents, guardians, and caregivers for survival. Children lie for different reasons: to avoid punishment, to attract praise and rewards from parents, get parent's approvals, to become loved by parents than other siblings, to become centre of attraction, and just impulsively. Once a child develops the bad habit of lying, everything about him/ her becomes a smokescreen. He or she is no more real to the people living with him or her. His/ her parents, guardians, caregivers, siblings, and peers and play groups would not trust him/ her again. Nobody believes him again because believing a liar exemplifies one's readiness for deception and fall and loss! In fact, the bad habit of lying has far-reaching effects on people, especially children who are wholly depending on others for survival and sustenance. Which reasonable parent will be happy to use his/ her hard-earned resources to train a lying child? Is it not better to give the money to the orphanage languishing in hunger? Who in the whole world would be happy and comfortable to do business with a liar? Which man wishes to have a lying woman as his wife? Which woman wants to marry a liar as husband? That is why every hand should be on deck to eradicate lies in the lives of children. Parents, guardians, and caregivers can do the following things to stop children from telling lies:

a. Encourage honesty and transparency in your family by leading an exemplary life of truth.

b. Once you discover that your child is lying whether frequently or occasionally, do not say anything to that child. Anytime he/ she begins to lie to you, just get up from your seat speechlessly and abandon him/ her there. This queer treatment will make him/ her greatly ashamed. That child will hardly lie to you again.

c. If a child lies to avoid a responsibility in the house, for example, domestic chores, force that child to do that work or forfeit any good thing you give other children in the house that day. 

d. If the child lies because he/ she is afraid of something, do something very definite to allay the fear first, and warn the child to desist from lying so that he/ she can be trusted.

All parents, guardians, and caregivers, including teachers, should assist in making children desist from telling lies. Nobody trusts a lying tongue because nobody wants to plunge into a pit of deception. Therefore, parents, guardians, and caregivers, should join hands together to combat the bad habits of nose picking, private parts touching, and lying because of their impacts on children's development and future lives.

Please, share with your friends and loved one. Thank you very much gentlemen and ladies.