CHILDHOOD has a critical importance from the religious perspective, as this is when children are introduced to their families, religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, and immense care, love and attention is given on nurturing their spirituality. Many religious rituals and celebrations take place during the early years of birth, such as the naming ceremony, first haircut, circumcision, visits to places of worship for a special prayer for health and well-being, the first solid meal, and the first reading or memorization of the Holy Scripture etc. These religious and spiritual practices help children in their holistic development, protection, wellbeing and create ethical values in them for nurturing their spirituality. Spirituality can serve as a source of power to tackle things, when something worse happens later in life.
There is no universally agreed definition of spirituality. Spirituality is not confined only to religion or to religious people. Spiritual development means children’s awareness of themselves and search for meaning and transcendence, which involves their capacity to connect with themselves, others, nature and that which people refer to as God, the Divine, the Transcendent, or Ultimate Reality. Spirituality builds a sense of belonging, strengthens children’s identity, ethical values, pro-social behaviours, and positive relations with others. It also lifts children up to develop a sense of purpose and meaning around who they are, what they do, where they live and what they are meant to be and want to become.
There are inter alia ten innate spiritual capacities of children, i.e., self-awareness, wisdom, compassion, empathy, love, awe and wonder, mindfulness, curiosity, imagination, and wondering. While these capacities are innate, they need to be nurtured for them to flourish and contribute in the development of child spirituality.
All major religions and spiritual traditions profess the spiritual development and dignity of children. In Islam, the Quran expresses the utmost love and value for children of all abilities, describing them in various ways: the child is a gift from God (Hiba) Surah Ibrahim Verse 39,a great blessing (Naimah) Surah An-Nahl Verse 72, an adornment of life (Zeenah) Surah Al-Kahf Verse 46,and an heir who will inherit a legacy (Waleeh) Surah Maryam Verse 5,6.Through these powerful descriptors, the Quran emphasizes what a blessing it is to have children. Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 144 says that children in their early years grow and develop through play and affection, as demonstrated by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). It reminds parents and other caregivers to see children as blessings and not burdens.
Scientific evidence from the field of neuroscience and child development demonstrates clearly that the developing brain and body of a growing child will benefit immensely if all dimensions of child development including spiritual are given equal importance. Both science and the world’s religious and spiritual traditions point to the critical importance of early childhood. Early childhood lays the foundation for health, well-being, learning and productivity throughout a person’s whole life, and it has an impact on the health and well-being of the next generation. Studies have shown that youth who have been exposed to spiritual development as younger children demonstrate less aggressive behaviour, less substance use, less high-risk behaviour and less risk of depression.
UNCRC also pays emphasis on the spiritual rights/development of children. Article 27 of UNCRC acknowledges the holistic development of children so that children can enjoy a standard of living adequate for their physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development. Similarly, Article 17 states that children must have access to information and material, especially from sources aimed at the promotion of their social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health. 19 out of 26 General Comments of UNCRC also refer to spiritual development of children.
Children’s spiritual development is the central aspect of their holistic development. As spiritual qualities/capacities develop, these affect positively on physical, social, emotional, moral and cognitive development of children. Similarly, as the other domains of development build up, this strengthens the spiritual capacities of the child. So, in a child’s holistic development, all developmental domains mutually contribute, strengthen each other and nurture the child’s spirituality.
Consortium on Nurturing Values and Spirituality in Early Childhood for the Prevention of Violence published the ‘Toolkit for Nurturing the Spiritual Development of children in the Early Years. Toolkit provides three main conditions which are foundational for the nurturing of children’s spirituality; (1) an environment that is safe, free of violence, and respectful; (2) caring and positive relationships with parents, caregivers and educators; and (3) empowering experiences for children to practice and internalize ethical values, develop their agency, sense of community, belonging and purpose, ultimately encouraging them to safely pursue and nourish their own spiritual development.
Spiritual development is often a missing piece in current child development frameworks and programs, and the most under-invested domain of child development. This is due to several factors, including the lack of comprehensive research on what child spiritual development encompasses, and the misunderstanding that spiritual development pertains only to the religious sphere, whereas in fact, spiritual development is an innate process within the child, independent of their religious or other affiliation.
Parents, caregivers, educators, community members and anyone who is part of the upbringing of a child are very important stakeholders for children’s spiritual development. So, it is recommended that they must be sensitized on this critical issue. This will build their capacity in ways to nurture children and uplift their innate spirituality.
—The writer is a former Programme Policy Advisor at National Commission on the Rights of Child, Govt of Pakistan, Islamabad.
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views expressed are writer’s own.
