Awareness is knowledge, and knowledge is power. But the habit of staying tuned to your surroundings and the world in general, is something one must pick up at an early age.
 

So let's take a look why social awareness is vital, and how you can make your child more aware of events around him.

Why it is Important to be Aware In this highly competitive world, it pays to be ahead of the game. Considering the speed of city life, there are many things occurring around us which we need to stay tuned to. Traditionally, one would just have to go through the local newspapers to get a gist of things happening around us. But today, there aremedia sources like television, Internet, local magazines, etc. that inform us of happenings around us. So why is it important to be aware? Because knowing more about society and its issues make you more efficient and responsible.

For example, if more children are taught today about the ill-effects of global warming, they will be more responsible with fuel. If children are taught in school about social issues and problems, they will make a conscious effort to do something about it, therefore improving society as a whole. Also, if kids are made aware of things such as social behaviour, actions that harm society and the environment, crimes, illegal etc, they will be more prone to avoiding those activities. For example, teaching children about civic sense will have an immediate effect on not only your home but also on the city. Being socially aware also helps your child make a moreresponsible and well-thought decision.

Awareness and Mental Development Today, many colleges and companies also test the social awareness of candidates while admitting them. Many students are also cross questioned about their opinions on world events in debates, group discussions and interviews. In fact, most high-end colleges require you to be socially aware! Also, if you do not teach your child actively about social issues, he may not be able to take an appropriate decision when confronted by that issue in society. For example, you need to teach your child about the ill effects of drugs and addiction, what sort of people smoke them and what effect it could have on his life. In fact, you need to inform him that his peers could introduce it to him at school! This knowledge will help him take an appropriate decision if ever confronted by this situation. There are a lot of social problems like female infanticide, alcoholism, drug abuse, and superstitious beliefs etc. which are still a huge problem in India. It is vital that more and more people be made aware of these issues so that we can fight them as a united country. Social awareness also makes the individual more mature and considerate when it comes to making important decisions, for e.g., during an election. Thus, encourage your child to be curious about the world around him. It will go a long way in making him a responsible and mature member of society.