Ingabe Abantwana Bayayifuna Imithetho?
“KUNGAKHATHALISEKI ukuthi umntwana ubonakala evuthwe kangakanani ngaphandle,” kusho uDr. Harry Mendelsohn, umqondisi wokwelashwa kwemikhaya esibhedlela iMontefiore Medical Center, eNew York, “usalokhu engumntwana.” Futhi imithetho iyobe isalokhu idingeka. Uyachaza: “Umzali kumelwe athwale umthwalo wemfanelo. Umkhaya awuqondiswa umthetho wokubusa kweningi, nakuba ukufaka ulwazi kumntwana ngamunye kumelwe kukhuthazwe. Kodwa zonke izinqumo ngokuphelele kumelwe zenziwe abazali. Imithetho kumelwe yenziwe, kumelwe ibe ecacile futhi iphindaphindwe. Abantwana akumelwe babe nomthwalo wemfanelo wokuzenzela imithetho yabo siqu.”—New York Daily News, September 13, 1981.
“Abantwana bangabalingisi abakhulu,” kusho umqondisi wendawo yentsha. “Bayakuphika ukuthi bayayifuna imithetho, kodwa uma ungayinqoba leyompikiswano, uthola okwehlukile. Umsuka uwukuthi bacabanga ukuthi imithetho enengqondo iyisibonakaliso sothando.”
Ingabe abantwana bayavuma? Eqoqweni “Lemithetho Yabazali Ngabafana Esikoleni Sokulungisa,” nazi ezinye izinto abazishoyo:
“Sikhathazeni kancane. Yibani abaqinile nabaphikelelayo ekukhipheni isiyalo. Siboniseni ukuthi ubani ophethe. Kusinikeza umuzwa wokulondeka ukwazi ukuthi sinokusekelwa okuthile okuqinile.
“Khanyisani ikhandlela; siboniseni indlela. Sitsheleni ukuthi uNkulunkulu akafile, akalele noma akaphumule. Sidinga ukukholelwa kokuthile okukhulu nokunamandla kunathi.
“Uma nisithola siqamba amanga, seba noma sinonya, saziseni ukuthi kungani lokhu esikwenzile kukubi. Lapho sidinga isijeziso, sijeziseni, kodwa nisenze sazi ukuthi nisasithanda.
“Sitsheleni amaphutha ethu. Ningapheli amandla futhi ningesatshiswa ukusongela kwethu kokuthi sizoyeka esikoleni noma sizobaleka ekhaya. Qinani. Abantwana abazifuni ngempela zonke izinto abazicelayo.”
Konke lokhu kuphawulwe kahle emazwini afushanisiwe omzali ohlakaniphe kunabo bonke, umqondisi wenhlala-kahle yabantwana omkhulu kunabo bonke, uJehova uNkulunkulu. EZwini lakhe eliphefumlelwe, iBhayibheli, kuthiwa: “Nani-boyise, ningabathukuthelisi abantwana benu, kodwa nibondle ngokuyala nangokuqondisa kweNkosi.” (Efesu 6:4) UMdali akaqondi nje kuphela lokho okufunwa abantwana kodwa futhi nalokho okudingwa abazali. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ungomusha noma ungumzali, nakekela amaphuzu awusizo asezihlokweni ezimbili ezilandelayo.