Song is sounds which have a rhythm and a tempo and are performed by using music instruments. The types of songs vary for instance, jazz, classic, Mozart, Blues, Rock, Country, Dangdut and traditional song. Song cannot be separated from human life because it can express someone’s feeling. It can make people sad, happy and energetic. For children, song helps them to be more energetic and stimulate their brain to know word, music and art skill. In golden age, children usually study by music because child’s song has many educations in its lyrics that are easy to be understood by children. Nowadays, it is difficult to find children song or children singer in Indonesia. This paper will argue that Indonesia has lost child song because the music company only thinks about its profit. In addition, it should balance the number of adult and child song in the music world.

There are many lessons behind the children’s song. It is very important for parents to teach morality for their children. It is, however, quite difficult because moral education is boring and children’s mind cannot receive it. Through a simple song, parents can teach their children because children song is easy to be understood and memorized by children. Children can sing and learn in the same time through a song. By song, they will move around and clap hands enthusiastically. It helps them to be more active and energetic. It is unlike now where adult’s song more much than children’s song.

Nowadays Indonesia is dominated by Adult’s Song. It is difficult to find children song or children singer in Indonesia due to the domination of love and broken heart song. It is very contradictive with children world where there full of happiness and education. Although we find a child song he/she not looks like a child. A child singer sings a love song and dresses up same as adult. That is why Indonesian children especially in one to five years old usually sing unqualified songs such “Ayo goyang dumang”, “Pusing pala Barbie”and “Sakitnya tuhDisini”. It is impossible for parents to teach their children about morality through that song. It is irony because many people like to see their children sing that song. They think it is funny but they don’t realize that those songs give bad impact to their children. The music recorders also don’t think about the bad impact of that song to the children. They just think about how much money they can get by showing a child sings a love song.

However, in fact, music Companies only focus on big profit. Because the market of adult song is bigger than children’s song, so they change children become adult by singing adult’s song. That is why child looks not pure again as a child. The companies realize that they can get much profit by launching children singer because they will attract many young fans. In fact, children sing a song that it is not suitable with their age.

To sum up, children should sing a children’s song that full with spirit, happiness and education. Parent or candidates of parents we must be careful with the song. We must know how to teach the children through proper song.

Written by : Zakia Khyadhaniel Zaskia
Picture : www.youtube.com

One simple funny story perhaps could help us know the importance of sex education in our life especially to introduce it to the children. Here is the story:

A child: mommy, what makes your stomach bigger and what is it inside?
A mother: oh dear, there is a baby in mom stomach right now and he could be your brother.
The child suddenly becomes silent and cries and her mother could not stop her from crying. What makes the child cries is because she couldn’t imagine that how cruel her mother ate the baby.
A child: I don’t want to talk to mother because mother ate a baby.
A mother: just smiling and tried to explain it to her little girl.

Traditionally, children and adolescent were not given any information on sexual matters, with discussion of these issues being considered taboo. Sex is an important aspect of the life of a human being and almost all the people including children want to know about it especially when they grow up. Most of the information were obtained informally from friends and the media, and much of this information was of doubtful value.

It is much better to teach children about sex in school or in home rather letting them use other resources such as pornographic material and the internet. This is important because avenues such as the internet have a huge store of information that might be misleading and lead to misinformation.

In Indonesia formal sex education is taught as a full course as part of the curriculum in junior high school or high school but actually comprehensive sexuality education is a program that starts in kindergarten and continues through high school and it is depend on how far the children should know about sex. Schools have a significant role in imparting effective sex education to children and adolescents then how about family sex education?

Some parents couldn’t explain very well when their children ask about sex even they don’t want to explain clearly to make their children understand because they assume that the time is not yet appropriate. Then when is the perfect time to tell the children about sex education?

“According to the WHO, sex education for children should be imparted (v : disampaikan) at the age of 12 and above”. It means that we should introduce sex education step by step to the children to build good understanding and of course this should appropriate to family religion.

It cannot be denied that religion has a big role in controlling how far we should know about sex before married and after married in order something that we do not want will not happen such as MBA (Married by Accident), abortion, HIV/AIDS and so on. 1. Do you think sex education is important? 2. Why everyone shall know about sex education? 3. Sex and sexy almost same, how could you differ it? 4. Where do you get your first sex education? (individually will be different) 5. How many methods do you know to introduce sex education to the children? 6. Which methods is the best one to introduce it to the children? 7. Between family and school, which one has main role to introduce sex education to the children? 8. Do you think pornographic material could help to introduce sex to the children? 9. What tools is needed to introduce sex to the children? 10. Do you think that our curriculum is correct in sex education learning process? 11. Have you ever learn about sex education in your own religion? 12. What the children will get from knowing about sex education early? 13. No sex until getting married, do you agree with this statement?

1. Do you think sex education is important?
2. Why everyone shall know about sex education?
3. Sex and sexy almost same, how could you differ it?
4. Where do you get your first sex education? (individually will be different)
5. How many methods do you know to introduce sex education to the children?
6. Which methods is the best one to introduce it to the children?
7. Between family and school, which one has main role to introduce sex education to the children?
8. Do you think pornographic material could help to introduce sex to the children?
9. What tools is needed to introduce sex to the children?
10. Do you think that our curriculum is correct in sex education learning process?
11. Have you ever learn about sex education in your own religion?
12. What the children will get from knowing about sex education early?
13. No sex until getting married, do you agree with this statement?

Picture : http://www.dailystar.com.lb
by Aslan Irunsah, S.Si | HEC’s co-founder
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Family is the first human’s relationship, the place where they study language, roles, and adaption to their environment. As the children grow up, parents hold the role to establish (v = membangun) their character. It is important here because character building determines everyone’s future. Like father like son, a proverb (n = peribahasa) that tells us how important the parents’ role is. It is the childhood that contributes much in building the children’s character. When they are 5 years old or more, we can see that most of their activities are playing, crying, studying language, and learning to speak. That’s why parents should actually be more active in accompanying (v = mendampingi) their children while educating them as well. However it’s very contradictive if see today’s condition where many parents are confused on how to guide their children. 

There are a lot evidences we can see in our surroundings that prove haven’t understood how to be their children’s role models. Being absent from school, being lazy to study, quarreling, fighting, smoking, etc., are only some examples of how poor the parents’ concern (n = perhatian)on their children’s growth. They tend to (adv = cenderung)force their children to do what they think is right. For example, they want their children to study in an Islamic boarding school, hoping that their children will be more prevented from doing bad things while the children are not interested to study there. As a result, we often find the children do something inappropriate in their classes. In terms of psychology, children who get pressure from their parents will be difficult to socialize with others, be unfriendly and sometimes rough. 

According to finger print research, everybody has different capacity and talent. It means that we do not have to force somebody else to do what we want. Instead, find the things they like to do, then improve it and stick to it. If this thing goes well, both parents and children will have good communication and relationship. In addition, as Ayah Edi, a parenting consultant, said that everything comes from family and parents. In this case, it is obviously parents that should demonstrate their love through what they do every day. It’s not really necessary for them to feed (v = menyuap)their children everything because there a lot of things children can find by themselves. The only things that parents should do are to guide them and learn their improvement. Once they found something the children are interested in, then focus on it. That’s all what parents need to do.  

Glossary
establish (v): to succeed in making or creating (something)
proverb (n): a brief popular saying
accompany (v): to be included with something
concern (n) : something that a person is responsible for or involved in
tend to (adv): used to describe what often happens or what someone often does or is likely to do
feed (v) : to provide what is needed for the continued growth, operation, or existence of (something)

by Mardis Darwis | Civil Engineering of Moslem University of Indonesia