Your children are learning from you - Editorial

What we need to bequeath to our children are the high moral and spiritual values that will help them to face the future and the challenges of the world. Most believe that giving the best education or endowing them with material possessions alone would suffice. This is a misconception. Many are the stories of the rich and powerful messing up not only their personal lives, but those of others as well. Not surprising then, there exists a majority called the victims of society.

Children are looking at you fathers in particular, to learn more than what they would from institutions of education. They learn from you the correct ways or the incorrect ways of not only using wealth but making it as well. The choice they make determines whether they will be in control of wealth and power one day or wealth and power will control them. This way they either have a joyful and stress-free life or go through life burdened and sick. Wealth and power are given to alleviate and set free the victims of society. Failure to do so will amount to having a palace in a slum environment.

The purpose of parenting then is to inculcate in the children the importance of abiding and being governed by the system of laws that operate in a country. The high moral and spiritual values learnt need be lived by parents, otherwise sending children for religious instruction every Sunday or Poya will be of little use. Fathers may tell the children what’s right and just, but do just the opposite. They may say pornography is wrong, but enjoy it daily in private. They  may insist that one needs to fight for one’s rights, but have no qualms in denying someone else’s or say cheating is bad, but think nothing of cheating the boss or the economy.

The children are looking at you fathers. Will you not want them to be proud of you? How wonderful if they can see you as being different to other fathers. We can be proud, to show that we stand up for what is right. The children should see us being that lone voice speaking for justice and fair play. Other fathers sadly, are either too timid, or don’t have a backbone. Surely one does not want to be such; for who wants to lose our children’s esteem of us.

If on the other hand our children are given a chance to speak to parents in love, they will warn them of cowardice. Fear prevented them, when truth should have been spoken; or lies and unjust acts were not condemned. Your good behaviour is the only worthwhile legacy you could leave your children and the nation.