Social media is a place you love to hate. You love it because it connects you with the rest of the world, and you hate it because it exposes you to all sorts of news, good and bad.
Recently, a post about two children who got engaged in Kafr Al-Sheikh went viral. And by children, we mean two 15-year-old children!
This is not some scene from a black comedy film or a comic skit, this actually happened…
In 2018…
15-year-old children just got engaged with a 30 thousand pounds dowry, and everyone seems to be okay with that…
The public’s reaction? People should have told them that this is wrong and they should reconsider, right?
No.
This wasn’t the case.
In fact, the comments ranged from “congrats, all the best” to “Hey, they don’t look like children.” And, of course, the usual joke of “too much money spent!”
The parents’ response? The boy’s parents said that they will only let them marry when they reach the legal age: 18 years old.
The parents explained how the boy told them that he loves the girl and wants to marry her. The mother said that this should encourage him to study better and focus in his school, and that they did not do anything wrong!
How about official entities intervening? The National Council for Childhood & Motherhood acted to stop this disaster, based on the fact that children’s images shouldn’t circulate social media and get defamed.
The council urged to stop sharing the image in consideration of the children!
Well, shouldn’t we like…I don’t know, like STOP THIS ALTOGETHER?! It’s not about social media or comments as much as it’s about ruining these kids’ lives.
There are so many things that are wrong here!
Minors marriage is a serious issue in Egypt (we talked about it before here). Condoning this practice is promoting destructive habits to our society—on both short and long terms.
The parents’ actions have no justification regardless of how noble their intentions were. So yes, you guys did something very, very wrong! We can’t stress it enough.
Even if the children are wise beyond their years, they are still not fit to make a decision of this magnitude. When you’re 15, you can decide what sports you can play, whether you prefer Batman or Superman, but not who you are going to spend the rest of your life with!
Children at this age are volatile; it’s the parents’ responsibility to govern and make sure their children’s decisions, or whims, are under control, and to do the best for them.
If you truly love your kids, you sometimes have to say ‘No’ for own their sake. If you want to motivate your kid to study or get him a gift, just buy him a bicycle or something!
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