Raising children who are healthy and with good manners is undeniably a huge job for parents. In recent years, however, it is increasingly apparent that children are becoming impolite towards their parents, which is unlikely common in the past. This change in behaviour is having adverse impact not just on family dynamics, but also on the society as a whole. It is therefore imperative to examine the root cause to this problem in order to arrive at a desirable soluntion that will benefit both family relations and the community.
One of the major factor to the decline in respect towards parents is the change in family structure. In the past, families were typically close knit, with clear expectation of good behavior and authority. Parents were actively involved in their children’s lives, with great emphasis about discipline and family tradition. However, nowadays, families are becoming busier than ever, with both parents making ends meet for the family. As a result to this, they tend to unconsciously leave little to no room for quality time for their children as they are more engrossed in their professional responsibility. This eventually lead to children feeling neglected as they did not receive proper parental guidance, support and attention that they badly need from their parents. Ultimately, children start to assert independence with the lingering feeling of resentment and the lack of respect.
Aside from the change in family structure, the rise of modern technology and media significantly contributes to this prevalent problem. Almost all children nowadays own mobile phones and regularly exposed to social media and digital contents which the children often try to immitate or follow. Streaming platforms produce videos that promote the essence of individualism and self-expression that extremely influenced children and teach them that they are entitled to their own rights. For instance, when a parent educate or discipline their kids, it is common nowadays that they would take it differently, such as a form of child abuse. Unfortunately, sometimes, kids yell back to their parents, showing disrespect. Consequently, family traditions have gone haywire, losing its dynamics.
This problem does not only diminish family relations, but also is having significant effects on society. A child’s attitude at home often reflects their attitudes, at school for instance, towards their peers or classmates, and even worse, towards their teacher. This is becoming a serious problem that calls for an urgent action. If this is not mitigated, it will have potential implications in the future, busting not only family structure, but also the society cohesion.
In conclusion, it is pivotal for the family and community to join hands together to guide children to become well-rounded individuals with good manners. In the long run, children are the hopes of the nation, so shaping as they grow up is critical.