March 26, 2009 at 14 :30
Children should be encouraged to be independent but not too independent as they still lack adult experience. Their parents can be for them a model. But parents needn’t force their children to be according to their wishes as personalities differ. Children still need parental protection financially and emotionally. But they aren’t robots that can be programmed and are expected to function according to their programming. A child isn’t just a part of his/her family but of society as a whole.

Children should be brought up to enjoy their childhood and to be prepared for the future. As such, they shouldn’t be bullied by their parents into adopting a way of thinking but they should be encouraged to have healthy style of thinking that can prepare them to face their reality and the reality of the world around them.After all, in view of the complex world in which they live and the multifaceted exposures they have, children can be seen as small adults. They need just time to reach full adulthood. They should be entitled to pursue their dreams as long as they don’t bear in them the risk of becoming nightmares that can disrupt the whole of their lives.

Children can be affected by the current economic downturn because of growing materialism in society. Children are exposed to consumerism at a very low age either from their parents or advertisements directed at them. In the past, it was enough for children to have a playground and a ball to have fun. Now with the spread of electronic gadgets and the Internet, many children can’t live without pocket money. I think it’s time for them to learn to live in the warmth of family life and friendship without the unnecessary and sometimes frivolous luxuries. When grownup, they can make and have their own money.