BALANCING RESPONSIBILITIES

The break-neck speed at which modern life is lived and the amount of living that needs to be fitted into each day is a source of frustration and stress for all. You would be forgiven for thinking that students don’t fit the bill; in fact the demands on their time are as numerous as adults’. They have responsibilities but they also have hobbies and interests; they need to succeed at school to get ahead in the rat race but they also want a life. Maintaining a healthy balance is an art which needs to be fine-tuned. There is one major way in which this can be achieved: persuading parents to stop molly-coddling their children.

Taking responsibility and time management should be learnt in childhood. A lot parents will go out of their way to pick up after kids, ferry them to school and friends, do part of their homework, and the like. Tidying up is considered hard work, the bus is considered far too dangerous and homework is considered to be team work. This attitude, though well- meant, has devastating effects later in life when the young person has to balance work and life and finds that mummy isn’t there to help. The result is frustration and misery, which can be avoided very easily if parenting methods are changed.

There are various modifications parents can make to the way they bring up their kids one of which is to encourage them to take summer jobs or part time jobs. In the west, children will do the paper round, walk dogs or baby sit for pocket money. If the parents then allow the kids to budget and not give them extra money one box is ticked. Another measure could be making sure the kid has a regular homework, play-time and bed-time routine which is adhered to at all times. A routine will only be followed if parents also set a good example; this then becomes the rule of the house and a way of life. To sum up it is much easier to acquire these skills in childhood than to be thrown in the deep end later in life.

In conclusion, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks and this is true for our hectic lives as well. Modern parents who are all too aware of the dangers lurking round every corner should learn to stand back and let their little princes and princesses actually take charge of their lives. Such an attitude will bring them happiness in later life for which they will always thank their parents.