Cairo – a city in turmoil
Last night I returned from Cairo, a city still in turmoil.
TV screens across the city broadcast live feeds from Tahrir Square and other hotspots. Angry chants fill the air wherever you go including the airport lounges at Cairo International Airport. Young, old, Egyptian or foreigner – you simply cannot escape the anger in Egypt.
Though it’s easy to recognize the horrors that families in Homs in Syria are subject to it is more difficult to imagine what it’s like to be a child in a place like post-revolution Egypt.
Egypt has already had their revolution – it’s over. Or is it?
The indications are that there is still a lot of things that need to change in Egypt and it may take a long time. It may even take another form of revolutions – and if so I hope it’s purely political and non-violent.
This is not a political analysis of the situation in Egypt or the Arab world, rather a demonstration of curiosity related to families and children in particular.
Here are some of the things I am curious about in Egyptian families:
- Do you share what’s going on with your children and if you do what do you leave out?
- Do you leave the television news on for the children to see?
- Are the political discussions between adults only or are children included?
- Are your children afraid of what’s going on?
I do not know what it’s like to be a father in Egypt and I do not want to make any assumptions. I do however know that, whether a parent in Egypt or Dubai, we have a responsibility for our impact – especially on children..
Political upheaval and insecurity must be incredibly hard factors to deal with when you are trying to bring up a family.
My thoughts go our to our friends in Egypt and I look forward to your comments.
With love,
Johan Premfors
Image available under cc license by Joseph Hill
Related posts:
- Parenting in Egypt (Part 1)
- Parenting in Egypt (Part 2)
- Parenting in Egypt (Part 3)
- Parentology heads to Cairo!
- Parentology Returns to Cairo!
Category: Reflections
FEAR, this is one of the main emotions going through Egyot at the moment, understandably. I am afraid most parents are glued to the TV, warning their children from the streets and the dangers of lack of security. Fear and lack of trust, huge walls the children will grow up with on one hand .
There are good points too like assertiveness, , demanding justice, knowing one’s rights and courage.
This is not the first revolution or coup d’Etat that Egypt went through, not the first war or conflict neither,
Egypt has had a revolution before and was much more swift and organized , we have tasted war before in recent years, we have tasted defeat and victory and definitely I speak as a child of 4 years old during 1967 living by the border of Israel in a town call Ismailia and being bombed and homeless, it does affect hugely the character a child develops mistrust, disillusionment of adults, anger and more anger, premature cynicism with a feeling of abandonment from your own government and even caretakers who cannot control outcomes, a sense of loss, I fear that some of those emotions resulting from war are the same that some of our children will grow up with. This time mistrusting their own not an outside force as in war.
The only plus is those children, they will be tougher and survivors with all the advantages and disadvantages of those qualities.
That is why coaching/Counselling skills are needed in every family to open up discussions and let the kids have a voice and feel that they are seen.
Thank you Johan for opening up this issue, your article truly resonates on a higher level of care. No bounderies, only one world, what happens in one part truly affects the other. The children being our future, their mental and emotional stability should be our main concern and us parents have SO much responsibility.
Dear Johan,
I thank you for visiting my country in these difficult times. As a parent of three teenagers it is very difficult to protect them from what we are experiencing in our homes and on the streets… an emotional rollercoast. You feel safe one day as soon as police start to stroll the streets then a few days later you cannot stop the tears from the Port Said attack aired live o television.
How do you explain to a teenager in love with football not to go cheer for his team? That a class mate was killed while he watched a game. Most young men just like you age 16 to 25. We try at home to stay as calm as possible and my husband did manage for the most part to keep them preoccupied with sports and games during the revolution while I was glued to the television and facebook reporting to the world our news from my perspective. But Port said was a whole new tactic, it was using innocent teenagers to play a political game. Too surreal to believe.
We dont subject our kids at home to the politics or the parliament and they show no interest in it. They only need to feel safe and I can only offer this one day at a time. And honestly… I hate politics. I always had and always will. So if I am in a gathering and politics is the topic of discussion I usually pick up and leave or stare in space and drift off. Why? We were never politicaly educated and now everyone seems to be the expert. I know Im not. All I want is to provide long term security for my kids. To send them off to training and not feel worried. Thats all I ask for. And for my country, I want this political games to end so I can rebuild my country again. And that is when Ill involve my children in whats happening in Egypt. Just like the most amazing week we had after Mubarak stepped down and we went to the street to clean our country. People had so much love and respect for one another. Those were great days. I wish I see Egypt like that again.