Hi Steemians, I am @ononiwujoel a member of the steemit platform and this is my participation post for Happy Universal Children's Day Contest. My special regards to @bright-obias for the privilege to participate in this contest.

Introduction

It is an undisputed fact that children are the most precious jewels known to the human race since time immemorial.
There is even a belief that the laughter of a little child can bring a sudden surge of happiness to a grown up, no matter how moody or unhappy he or she may be. And I really think this is true to a large extent because I've personally been in that situation a number of times before.

And another beautiful thing about childhood is that everyone here reading this post was once a child so it is not something new or strange to any of us. We can all remember how beautiful and carefree life was back then and sometimes I really do miss being a little child with no worries in the world.

So it is clear that Children and Childhood is a topic that will always be trending in the society, the world cannot grow or even work without this precious gifts from God and Nature.

My cousins and I doing our thing

History of Children's Day

The first recorded children's day event was organised and hosted by Reverend Dr. Charles Leonard, pastor of the Universalist Church of the Redeemer on June 1857. He held a special service which was dedicated to children. Leonard named the day Rose Day which was later renamed Children's Day. source of this information

Children's Day finally attained worldwide recognition when it was proclaimed in Geneva during the World conference on Child Welfare in 1925 and since then the world children's day has been celebrated around the world although on varying dates depending on when it was institutionalised in the states.

The celebration of children's day is actually done on different dates depending on the state or region.
The Universal date is 20th November to commemorate the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1959.source

But in some countries or regions it is celebrated on 1st June, in some 5th May, in some 27th May, in some others it is on 20th August and also so on.

My baby cousin and I

Importance of Children's Day

The children's day occasion is very important to both children and the society at large because it makes children feel important and recognised by the society as well as creates occasion for children from different backgrounds and belief systems to meet, interact and understand each other, the families are not left out in this beautiful occasion.

Also on this day there is occasion for all the ruminate on children rights and welfare which is one the major reasons for the celebration in the first place and check out the areas we're not doing well as regards childcare and rights and make the necessary adjustments.

Children's Day celebrations also creates a scenerio that promotes love and humanity both among children and the society at large because when every child is high spirits and feels appreciated and loved then the love flows round to everyone.
And believe me, the world today really needs love and empathy to survive the current sad events worldwide.

Having fun with kids in my neighbourhood

Ways of Celebrating Children's Day

Today there are so many ways people celebrate children's day including children oriented events, funfairs, parties, vacations, excursions and even exchanging of gifts and wishes. Although the latter is most common in the part of the world I live.

Sadly I didn't celebrate with the kids this year because I'm in school and completely choked with school work. But my heart goes out to kids in my country and all around the world.

Lessons I've learnt from Children

Well I'm also a lover of well-behaved kids and I really do admire their way of life.
One of the things I've learnt and admire in kids is their sound mind. Kids are beautiful creatures that can't hold grudges for long unlike we grown-ups that see malice as a way of life.

Another is their Respectful Nature. If you've been around kids for long, you'll observe that they don't discriminate each other based on societal placement or wealth. They play with each other happily even if they only met an hour ago.

Another is their Peaceful Nature. Kids don't worry about a thing in the world so long as there is food and place to sleep for them. I have never seen a child having sleepless nights because of worry.
I really miss being a child.

My cousins set for school

Best Gift for Kids on Children's Day

Well I think when getting gifts for kids on Children's day there are things to put into consideration like the gender, age and ambitions of the kid.

For boys below 8years gifts like superheroes toys and edibles like ice cream, burgers and bakeries.
For boys above 8years we should think of things like bicycles and other mature toys.
While for girls I'll just recommend girlie toys and edibles except for girls that do boyish stuffs a lot.

My Favourite Childhood experiences

Okay so I'll be gisting you guys about my personal great childhood experiences.

One was when I was just 5 years old on a children's day but I still vividly remember it.
That fateful evening my dad came home with a present for me and guess what.... It was toy tortoise that walks when you put it on. I was super excited and also scared of my new tortoise at the same time, so when I put it I get scared when it crawls close to me and I start running.
Well I had a great time that night until I fell into an iron cooking stove while running, the scar is still on my chest till date. So it was really a memorable children's day for me

Another one was some years later when I was 13years old. Yea I was 13 and still very excited about children's day.
So that day my family, some cousins and I went for outing. We visited Wonderland and Millennium Park both in Abuja, Nigeria. The fun was superb, infact I was very disappointed when it was time to return home and guess what.....
I continued the fun in my dreams that night LOL.

Funtime

Things to remember on Children's Day

In as much as Children's Day is marked with celebrations and fun events for children, there are also some important topics for all to ruminate and work on during this occasion as well.

One of these is the general welfare of children around the world. There is a disturbing increase in poverty rate and its effect on children in the world today especially in third world countries like Nigeria where I live.
There are many children begging and sleeping on the streets and in places not fit for humans just to survive. Most of this children have no vision or hope for tomorrow, they just want to be alive till the next day.

Another is the issue of child labour, trafficking and prostitution. These cases are rapidly growing and many governments around the world are doing absolutely nothing effective about these especially in Africa and Asia when this happenings are already becoming a norm.

There are also many cases of children being conscripted into military service, sometimes even by terrorist organisations. This occurrences are very common in Africa and Northern Nigeria where different groups of terrorists are already controlling many villages and towns.

These issues I listed are some of the various topics to be looked into on Children's day because it for these children that this day was institutionalised. They deserve to live and grow without their rights being abused as children.

image source
Let's Help End Child Abuse

Conclusion

Children's Day is one of the best initiatives provided to humanity today, it has give us a platform to celebrate children and share love to one another.
I hereby from the depth of my heart wish every child out there A Happy Children's Day

Thanks for reading and do have a great day ahead

Cc: @bright-obias
Cc: @steemalive

By @ononiwujoel