Raise a child who loves nature

Our ancestors picked wild berries, hunted untamed animals, caught fish in lakes, and scooped up water from streams to quench their thirst and satiate their hunger. At night, they lay on their backs under a star-spangled sky and wondered how far the moon was. Mankind's love for nature therefore flows in its blood. 

Our DNA carries memories and experiences of the thousands of years our forefathers lived in the wilderness. And even though we don't live in the wild anymore, we bond with nature instantly and instinctively. 

 I grew up in Dhaka. And although Dhaka was a metropolis even in the '80s and '90s, there were still safe public parks and patches of green here and there, where people could walk, rest, and enjoy nature. 

As a child, I often visited the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban with my father. On fall and winter mornings, I would see dewdrops hanging lightly from blades of its lush lawn grass. I would inhale the smell of fresh cut grass and walk on it to feel their tips tickling the soles of my feet. 

I can still feel the tickling of that neatly cut grass under my feet when I close my eyes. I think every child should experience what it feels like to walk barefoot on dewy grass. 

With my damp feet, I would then walk on the wide stairs of the assembly building; I would enjoy the marks left by my small feet. 

If you have a child at home, don't deprive him of nature's bounty. Introduce him to Mother Nature, where he can always find solace. Nature is the only place where our minds find peace when there is no peace around. 

Introduce your child to our idyllic countryside. Eating out at a fancy restaurant is enjoyable, but what is perhaps more enjoyable to a child is running across an open field, climbing a tree, soaking feet in a pond, or chasing a butterfly. 

Don't worry about those soiled hands, feet, clothes, and shoes; they can always be washed clean. 

Health experts assert that spending time in nature not only helps children get their exercise, but also promotes their cognitive development and stimulates their senses.  

The high-tech world has snatched away from our children their normal childhood. They are so occupied with screens they don't know that there exists a world, which is far more delightful than the one they see on the screen of a TV or a mobile device. 

Our children have not seen falling stars or a full moon. They don't watch the sun set over the city skyline. Our children never lie on their backs on a pitch-black night and enjoy the beauty of dazzling stars. 

If you have access to your house's rooftop, take your children there before sunset or after night falls. Let them and yourself enjoy heavens -- you will feel your heart shedding the weight of a hectic day.  

When you go abroad on a vacation, spend more time in the mountains, parks, or on the beaches, and less time in shopping malls, restaurants, and hotel lobbies. 

We need to go back to nature to raise healthy children!  

You may not have a park in your neighbourhood, you may not have a backyard to grow a garden, but you most likely have a balcony, where you can grow plants in pots. Let your child help you when you garden, and let him experience the joy of seeing a rose bush bloom, or a tomato seedling grow three feet tall. Tell him that the chillies you used in the chicken curry are from the plants he potted, and enjoy his young face break into a grin.

It is every child's right to enjoy nature; don't deprive a child of it. It is in the embrace of Mother Nature that the children of today's mundanely materialistic world can learn about the true meaning of beauty and happiness. 

By Wara Karim