Parents' Role in Educating Their Children

I am no parent; I'm single and currently I'm still seeking (or waiting) for my life-long partner. However, on the basis of my observation, I know what people called parents should do to prepare their children for the 'harshness' of the world, not to mention the fact that I have gone through a childhood phase.

First of all, people should know that bringing up children is no easy task. It requires a lot of effort, money, time, and so forth. I'd say parents have (almost) full responsibility for their children since they didn't choose to be born: they arrived because of their parents' will. So, for those who want to get married and have children, think about this carefully.

Next, every parent must realize that they and their children are different individuals. Many parents – I hope I'm wrong – push their children to be what they want them to be (perhaps, this is most common in Asian countries). Every child – everyone, essentially – mustn't be forced to do anything; they have their right to do anything they want. Are you out of your head? You might be asking.

From my personal standpoint, parents' responsibility toward their children is to let them "see the world as it is". They need to inform their children of the many options or choices available on the planet, together with their implications, good or bad. I'm not saying that parents should give their 3-year-old a knife, as it would likely hurt the cutie. Parents should always lead their children to good, that is, the survival of our species, and they need to know when their children can think well enough to make sensible decisions and give them freedom from that very moment on. I think this is an honorable act parents can do to their beloved ones.

It is a pity that many parents – again, I hope I am wrong – expect their children to be "money-printing machines". They regard them as "investments". And, this is such a terrible idea. I hope the suicide cases of adolescents worrying about passing exams are not a reflection of this sort of situation.

Then, what should parents do? As I've mentioned, parents ought to be something like a detective. They need to work together with their children and help them to figure out what the best future of their loved ones is, without insisting on them fulfilling their egocentric desire. So, it is a matter of being a "partner" rather than a "ruler".

Nevertheless, it makes sense that parents are not the only ones in charge of this huge duty. This exciting job should be done in conjunction with schools. Why? Simply because schools are where they spend quite a considerable amount of their day, around one-third of it. So, schools, and especially teachers, also play an important role in creating a marvelous generation of people.

I was inspired to write this article thanks to an invitation to be one of the speakers on Profession Day – February 6, 2016 – at my junior high school. The content of my speech is roughly identical to the message of this writing, with a slightly different emphasis. If I were to summarize my talk that day in one word, that would be "passion". And I hope you will encourage your children by telling them a sentence like "Darling, follow your passion."