Just this Sunday past, I celebrated my birthday and I could say that it was not one of those birthdays that I would have wanted to look back on. I also celebrated my birthday in our province to attend my cousin's funeral. My cousin would have turned 47 this coming 14th of February. Her death came as a shock to many. She died on the morning the next day after her brother, who died from heart attack, was buried. My cousin, bless her soul, never had any kids of her own, thus 13 years ago when she was presented a male child who was then only 2 months old, she took it on her own to adopt this child whom she loved so much as if the child was her own. 13 years later she would never have imagined that this would be the same child who would stab her 40 times to her death.
At 13, children like my cousin's adopted should have had built healthy relationships with other children. But X was just different, he was high on drugs when he decided to stab his mother over and over even as my cousin was begging him to stop. I was very much affected as we continually live in a much different and dangerous world. I have three kids of my own, and I keep praying and hoping that I will be able to bring them up to be God-fearing, respectful, and very loving individuals. Drugs can alter people's perspective in life, ruin families, destroy life, and take away an otherwise bright future. Families should continue the fight against drugs and should focus on giving their children quality time. Monsters are created not born, and as parents we have the capacity to make sure that our children by blood relation or not, are strong individuals who will turn up alright. Children should not be spoiled nor abused. We must know how to balance our authority when dealing with our children because their future lies on the hands that fed them.
