'Editorial': We Implore You To Be The Responsible Parents And Guardians You’re Supposed To Be

What is happening? Anyone dying prematurely is shocking. 

It is something that tears at the heartstrings of people. 

So, when news of a two-year-old dying in a house fire in a farming community in the North on Monday, it was as shocking as it was devastating. 

For the backstory of this incident couldn’t get any more heart wrenching. 

Authority chief executive officer, Sowane Puamau reported the child was alone with another three-year-old. 

The latter is said to have escaped but that was not the case for the two-year-old. 

It is alleged that the guardians at the time had left the two toddlers alone to go to the hospital while the father had gone to the school to get his child who was in kindergarten.

The house that had Kinisimere Naivalu trapped. Inset: Deceased...Kinisimere Naivalu.

So why were the toddlers left in the absence of an adult?

According to research, children under the age of five at the greater risk from home fire death and injury. 

As parents, we should also teach our children from an early age on some fire safety lessons. 

However, as parents and guardians, it is our first and foremost duty to ensure our children are not at harm’s way, let alone, left to fend for themselves. 

Prevention is better than cure, the saying goes, and in this case, we implore you to be responsible parents and guardians. 

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