To our readers, clients and all others, we say ‘Merry Christmas and Happy New Year of 2008.’ As we celebrate during this festive season, it is time to re-examine ourselves, evaluate our performance throughout the year, and get prepared for the times ahead. Many businesses are currently closing their books of accounts and preparing their balance sheets, while other institutions are keenly looking into their achievements and shortcomings in 2007.

The reason is one: everyone wants value for any coin spent and everyone wants to gauge their strengths and weaknesses, which will highly determine their future success.
Similarly, at a family level, we should evaluate ourselves and see whether we have fulfilled our duties as parents or guardians.

As members of extended families get together around this period, there is one overriding aspect that should top our list of preferences: children, children, children. It should be every parents’ and all adults’ intention to contribute to the kind of upbringing the country’s children need.
President Paul Kagame on Monday hosted yet another Christmas and New Year’s party for children drawn from all the country’s 30 districts, each represented by at least three kids.

And he has done this before. The Head of State and the First Lady have led a national campaign, encouraging Rwandans not only to fight child abuses, but also to instill good cultural practices among our young generation.

Protecting and nurturing a child is building a nation, but acts like sowing seeds of genocide ideology among children as a recent parliamentary inquiry found out in some schools, is treacherous, criminal and inhumane. We should all denounce that with all our efforts.

Forget about the days when it was regarded as a taboo for a parent to discuss with their children such issues as sex. Our era has come with new challenges, and therefore, we all need to rise to the occasion.

As we give our children gifts and show them love during this season, let’s, above all, give them due guidance on how to succeed in life.
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