Responsibility of parents: Walk the talk

Parents have great love for their children. That is natural, but as far as their children’s future is concerned, love alone is not enough. Love often turns into pampering their children, which makes a child too easy going. He may refuse to do hard work; this tendency could stop his future development. Good parenting calls for living between two opposites: on the one side being soft on the other side being strict, parents have to be both subjective & objective in their behaviour towards their offspring. Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting the physical, emotional, social, financial, intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood.

We all are familiar with the following maxim: To be born with a silver spoon, in reference to a child born in an affluent family. That means favoured children are frequently less successful in their lives than those who have failed to find a favour from their family. There is a better alternative for parents rather than giving favour; it is to give their child self-confidence. Self-confidence is the best gift parents can give their children.

In Bhagavad Gita it is mentioned “Always teach your children the value of things around them”. Prophet Muhammad(s) said “There is no better superior present that a father can give to his children than cultivation of good morals”. If parents pamper their children, they give them the worst possible gift. In the Bible it is said parents have the responsibility to care for the spiritual, emotional, physical well being of their children. Parents should nurture their children in such a way that they develop modesty, not pride or a superiority complex.

They should teach them to spend their energy and time in useful activities. Parents are always emotional towards their children, but according to the law of nature, emotional behaviour may not always be good for their well-being. It is in their nature to be emotional, but the best parents are those who control their emotions and take a realistic approach to parenting. The most important guide for parents is to be careful of their own conduct. Children are always watching their parents, learning from not just what they are told, but what their parents do and how they behave too.