A Mother’s Lesson to her Child on the Sustainable Development Goals

By Claudia Simone Ene

When a woman becomes a mother, she is responsible not only for her life but also for raising a happy child and a valuable person. Moms have the power to grow healthy and respectful kids who can make a change for humanity. They are the first and the most important persons for their children's development. They can transform the world by offering a good example and teaching strong values and valuable lessons. I firmly believe that mothers everywhere in the world are responsible for teaching their kids the experience of kindness regarding other people and the natural environment. Children are the foundation for all dimensions of sustainable development, and older generations have the responsibility to make sustainable education a part of everyday practices. In this way, those kids are learning in the sense of responsibility, but they also start respecting the natural environment and being active participants who can bring a social change.

The Sustainable Development Goals conducted by the United Nations and promoted in 2030 Agenda, are a great tool to use if we want to educate our children for the global challenges that we face nowadays. They develop ways of solving the problems that the planet Is facing through competing against poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, and promote peace and justice. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action for all countries to protect the planet and to transform our world through work. The Goals are related to each other, and the aim of The United Nations, together with governments and organizations is to achieve as many goals as possible by 2030.

As a mother, I would like my child to live in a beautiful world where there are peace and harmony, where people are respecting and supporting each other. And I do believe that we can make a difference for future generations if we prepare our kinds from early ages to live responsibly and this can be achieved by teaching about sustainable development.

As a result, I would like to explain to my child our importance in the world and the fact that even though people might be different because of age, sex, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, we all have the same human rights. So we need to treat everyone with the same respect. Moreover, I consider that teaching your child how to be kind to those who have less and how to share and help those in need is a great way to make sustainability part of the education. Teaching children how to recycle their clothes, food, and toys is a lesson about sustainable development and an excellent way to connect kids with small deeds and other people’s stories. As part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, I would like to teach my child how important it is to educate kids everywhere in the world. How can we help those who need by donating books, old computers, or helping other children who can't learn how to read, write, or do their homework? More than this, I would like my child to know how to avoid wasting food and water and support local farmers, to contribute to sustainable development goals.

On the other side, I believe it is essential for parents to explain to their children how important the environment is for everyone, a healthy lifestyle, and a better future. It is vital to teaching them about recycling paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum. It is an excellent way to educate them to consume responsibly, avoid environmental degradation, and promote a sustainable lifestyle. Simple household tasks like sorting waste or using natural cleaning products are a great start to teach children how to be responsible with the environment. On the same side, I would like to educate my child to save energy because even though it seems natural to use, electricity is hard to obtain. Reducing the amount of energy we use, we decrease the pollution that results from producing power, and so we contribute to a better natural environment. I would like to teach my child to use public transport and promote a healthy environment, but more than this, we can teach them how to plant trees and help protect the environment because animals, plants, and insects also need a home.

I firmly believe that children have the power to make changes for our world if they are educated with a sense of responsibility and love for people, animals, and nature and have a good role model to achieve all the lessons about sustainable development.

Sources:

1. About the Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

2. Mothers and the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda. https://makemothersmatter.org/delegations/un/mothers-and-the-sustainable-developments-goals-of-the-2030-agenda/