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With the rise of crime and violence against the nation's children, coupled with misdemeanours and indisciplined behaviour of our youth, Seventh-day Adventist Pastor, Nathanael Gracia calls on parents to be more responsible and to get their act right in taking care of the needs of their children. He was speaking at the regional launch of Parent's Month 2008, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Coalition for Better Parenting at the Brown's Town Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, November 1.

Under the theme 'Parenting... Right from the Start', Pastor Gracia, pastor of the Duncans District of Churches, used as his foundation text, Proverbs 22:6 which states, "Train up a child in the way he should grow and when he is old, he will not depart from it." He reinforced that there is a hand that is guiding the process called parenting, "I submit to you this morning, this hand is not the teacher at the school, it is not the church, nor is it the jail. It's your hands, parents. It starts with you! You are the one who sends them to school, who sends them to church, and sends them to jail."

He further explained that it is the parents whose genes are passed on to the child, hence discipline starts way before the womb; it begins with the parents themselves being disciplined. In using a quote from Carl Gustav Jung, Gracia said, "Children are educated by what the grown-up is, and not by his talk. This explains the rampant indiscipline, violence, and misdemeanours, which all stem from the actions and decisions parents make in the home."

Pastor Gracia's sermon further unraveled that the start is all about God. He quoted Proverbs 9:10 which states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." "Hence," he continued, "We can choose to build our homes on the rock or on the sand. And in every family there is a storm. There will be storms of divorce, peer pressure, financial burdens, absentee fathers, but, whatever your storm is, there is a rock for us to cling to and this rock is Jesus. Jesus is the Alpha, the beginning, the start. If this rock is not present in our homes and in our lives, our families are on sinking sand."

Joining the call for better parenting, the Hon. Dr. Kenneth O. Hall, Governor General of Jamaica, whose message was read by Mrs. Joy Daye, Senior Education Officer from the Ministry of Education (MEO), Brown's Town Regional III Office, offered congratulations to the organizers for this programme. He also stated that, "Parents are the first tier in a lifelong learning process and the social concerns facing our country and youth, in particular, requires that they be given greater assistance as they try to cope with the demands of raising their children."

The Honorable Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica in his message read by Mrs. Claudeth Fletcher, Community Relations Education Officer from the MEO, Brown's Town Region III pointed out that, "The care and protection of children, while resting primarily in the 'hands' of their parents, in no way absolves the rest of society - the Government, schools, churches, organizations and individuals - of their own responsibility in the wholesome development of children. There is an old adage - 'It takes a village to raise a child' - which speaks to the need for a collaborative and participatory approach by all responsible stakeholders, to a child's growth and development."

Hence, the Ministry of Education, under the leadership of the Honorable Andrew Holness, has introduced the National Parenting Policy to tackle the issues and concerns for better parenting in our society. In his address, read by Mrs. Aldita Sherwood, Education Officer for Region III, he stated that,"The Ministry of Education is also spearheading the creation of the National Parenting Support Commission that will facilitate the implementation of the National Parenting Policy by Providing a framework for action and identifying policies, programmes and resources that best support parents. The Parenting Policy and the Commission represent a multi-sectoral approach to initiating a parenting revolution in Jamaica, with the promotion of local positive parenting practices at the forefront."

Other official guests who were present at this regional launch included host Pastor, Karl Archer, Community Services Director for North Jamaica Mission of Seventhday Adventists; Dr. Michael Whittingham from the Coalition for Better Parenting and PNP Caretaker for North West St. Ann; Mr. Othneil Lawrence, Member of Parliament for North West St. Ann; and Mrs. Esmie Mcleod, Acting Principal for the York Castle High School.

Other plans for Region III (St. Ann, Trelawny and St. Mary) in celebration of Parent's Month include the Early Childhood programmes across the region. They are as follows:

November 4 -           Ocho Rios
November 6 -           Port Maria
November 11 -         Claremont
November 13 -         Alexandria
November 18 -         Runaway Bay
November 19 -         Duncans
November 26 -         Early Childhood Parents Award Luncheon
November 27 -         Parenting Fair and Outstanding Parents Award Function - St. Mark's Anglican Church Hall, Brown's Town at 10 a.m.

Schools across the region will also have their individual Parent's Month activities in celebration of Parents.

For further information on Parent's Month you may contact:
Mrs. Claudeth Fletcher
Community Relations Education Officer
Ministry of Education
Region III - Brown's Town Regional Office
Huntley Avenue
P.O. Box 419, Brown's Town, St. Ann
Tel. No. (876) 975-2716, 975-2703; 917-8440