They are ‘normal’ children

Dear parents,

While you are busy training your children to be successful and good human beings, please take some time out and let them know that there are some children who are not so fortunate enough as them to have both the parents. Explain them that

• Some of their friends might be living with a single parent and it is completely the will of God.  
• Their single parent is no less than both a mother and a father to them. 
• These friends are normal children like them and completely deserving of their friendship.  
• Teach your children that family is not in the identifiable relations. Family is made by people living together. If a child is deprived of a parent, it doesn’t mean that his family is not normal. It is as normal and as special as yours! 
• Teach your children that a child’s parent who lives with him can sometimes take place of the parent who is absent as well - And this should not be made embarrassing to that child. 
• If one such child wears an identity card that has a female name written in the place of a father’s name, then they should not make fun of it. To that child it means his world. That mocking would be enough to break his confidence. FYI, legitimacy is NOT always an issue to avoid a father’s name. Sometimes a child is given/knows nothing except the name of a father and it becomes the most hurtful thing to that fragile heart. 

I know that this might not seem an important educative part of your child’s upbringing. But it is as important as teaching your children the difference between good and evil. 

You might be active charity givers and social workers to reform this society.  But unless you train your children in this most neglected aspect of the society, there would remain hurt and depressed little hearts who are as beautiful and as precious as your sweethearts. Only because fate didn’t give them what your children have been given, do not make their complicated childhood even more difficult. 

I hope the educational institutions one day come up with a strict system that identifies the child as ‘S/O or D/O’ instead of specifying the father’s name. I am struggling to have this change implemented at my son’s school. But the damage has already been done and it is not easily repairable. 

~ A Proud Single Parent, who had set to be a normal parent.