It has been up to five years for this war where these years have been enough to change the scale in Syria and the events on field to negatively affect the social life of the Syrians; how many mothers lost their kids, how many children become orphans after war took their parents, and how many others who chose to seek refuge running away toward safety to have a social life only on social media.
“Rawan” who is aged fourteen years and from Idlib countryside, was forced by war to play the role of parents next to that one of a sister to her little three brothers for war has denied them their father and mother with hatred missiles. She has to be responsible for them being the elder sister wasting her innocent childhood becoming adult before time; she is added to the list of “young mothers”.
After her parents got martyred, her uncle care about them and supervised their issues since they were young and could not live alone by themselves; however, life cruelty followed them where he –their uncle- was martyred in the massacre of Idlib market when he was bringing some goods to his shop in the village. Here Rawan and her brothers become again alone in their house. Although she an excellent student , Rawan become forced to abandon school in order to take care of her brothers who are young, the oldest one is in his fifth grade while the second is in the first grade at the time the youngest is four years old.
On every morning she has to get them ready for school; she dresses them up and prepares their breakfast. She watches the children of her village carrying their bags running to school, her eyes starts to cry in grieve remembering how her teachers used to encourage her for her right answers or for her good deeds, she wipes her tears to go back to washing the laundry and preparing the launch for her brothers once coming back home.
“Rawan” is not the only child in Syria who abandoned school to do duties that are not suitable at her age; she is just like many whose social lives turned from playing and childhood to responsibility and motherhood living in an eternal prison of which she will not release till Allah will. Probably the negative effects which can befall her are worse than any denial she is living. Her destiny is being asocial and unable to trust her self specially when she compares herself to other girls who pursue their education and may be living within family.
She continue the house work remembering her mother how she was receiving her once coming home from school where food smell filled the house, at the time her father was preparing candies for her since she loves sweets. But then she turns to be a young mother who has to be good in everything, to care about her little brother who dose not stop crying as if he knew the great loss he has where nothing in the world can compensate him losing that word “Mama” calling his mother.
War continues and suffering increases leaving cases can not been find but in Syria; even though, there is hope in the hearts of its innocent children. The question arises here : Will war again deny these children their little mammy?
By Samah Alkhaled
Translated by Sabah Najem
#Syrian_press_center
