Alyssa Abigael C.

Gomez- 2LM3

The youth is the fair hope of the fatherland but the capacity of these youth to bring forth

change in the society lies within the hands of their parents. In this day and age, an enormous

number of children at a very young age, witness rampant cases of injustices in the society which

happens to exploit their innocent minds. These children are commonly from the marginal groups

of the society wherein upon seeing dreadful societal depictions, their tendency of mimicking

events at sight unfolds as a concrete threat in their upbringing. In numerous streets from

various places, children are seen in action doing drugs, committing theft, tussling one other for

little alms and committing other forms of wicked acts. In Metro Manila for instance, the above

mentioned is but a normal incident. In view of this pessimistic picture of reality, wherein

children become incident victims of the problems in the society, it is but an urgent matter to

recognize the people behind this issue who shall take the responsibility of stewardship among

these children. This responsibility of stewardship to children is principally owned by the parents

themselves. It is the parents basic responsibility to guide their children thus preventing them

from emulating exsisting pessimisms in the society. Moreover, parents should learn how to plant

good seeds in the entire well-being of their children at the earliest opportunity for everything that

they will impart among their children shall be carried by them from womb to tomb. Considering

their crucial role, parents who in negligence of their duties, has failed to prevent their vulnerable

children from committing criminal offenses should be held accountable. Consequently, parents

of children with ages ranging from 6-12 years old, who are involved with criminal offenses,

should accept moral and legal responsibility.

Despite the known responsibility of parents to their children, it is also an inescapable fact

that there are particular situations wherein parents are apart from their children due to

reasonable circumstances like jobs, which is a necessity to sustain the living of the family, which

deploy them to places far from their home. However, in cases as such, it is still the duty of the
parents to hand their children under the care or custody of reliable and competent individuals

who will serve as their guardians and shall fill in their absence. Moreover, the contemporary

society has offered technological breakthroughs that have opened the world towards more

accessible communication among people across the globe. Taking this into account, distance is

no longer a justifiable reason to excuse the parents from their failure to provide virtues to their

children that shall prevent them from being involved to criminal actions. Although, it is true that

physical presence of parents is indispensable to the development of their children, parents

should learn to consider alternative methods especially if physical presence is unattainable.

Consequently, distance can always be settled if only parents would exert enough efforts to

assure the welfare of their children. Thus, if children commit criminal offenses, despite the fact

that their parents are apart from them, the parents are still morally and legally responsible.

Another issue to be considered is there are families that are situated in an uncontrolled

environment wherein criminal acts and immorality are a rampant circumstance. Commonly,

these family are those who are underprivileged and financially unstable. In cases alike, parents

must accept the fact that in the first place, it is undoubtedly their responsibility to situate their

children in a safe and inhabitable environment wherein instilling of values and virtues can

properly transpire. However, if the former statement is unattainable then parents should never

neglect their duty to guide their children. They must center temselves in imparting values and

virtues among their children thus preventing them from reenacting immoralities that they see in

the society. Furthermore, parenting is a crucial responsibility wherein shaping the youth to

become upright individuals of the nation, regardless of any conditions, is still their foremost

priority so parenting should only be amongst people who are ripe and mature enough to hold

such immense obligation. Moreover, failure to do as such and allowing their children to engage

in wicked acts will always be the parents accountability.

 According to a Freudian ego-psychologist Erick Erickson, it is the duty of the parents to

encourage their children 6-12 years of age to be inclined with good values such as industry and

goal-orientation because failure to provide encouragement will allow their children too little

success and inferiority which will then cause numerous personality glitches. Taking this into

account, the responsibility of parents to their children is truly a vital factor in a childs

development and the parents are the immediate source of the values of their children.

Therefore, children with ages 6-12 years old are still unripe and immature. They are still

dependent to their parents. So, whatever actions that these children will commit, whether good

or bad, it will all radiate to the rearing of their parents for these children are still in the process of

developing a sense of responsibility.

In addition, the process of shaping a child lies within the hands of their parents. They are

the leading personalities who walk with their children during their developmental milestones.

Everything that they impart to their children shall be carried by them from womb to tomb for

parents emerge as the most influential people in the lives of their children. These parents must

set a good example and they must be the first to embody goodness so as to have the credebility

of upholding righteousness among their brood. Moreover, these children are reliant to their

parents and they mimick everything that their parents do.

All in all, in the process of adressing the problem in the satatus quo, it is reccommended

that the government through its departments, should add more values education programs in

schools that are more advanced than that of the present wherein children are not only

encouraged to rely on books but putting them also to real-life situations that can strengthen their

personal well-being. Also, parents should have regular seminars conducted by the officials in

their baranggays regarding responible parenthood and income generation because most of the

time, lack of basic commodities become factors affecting the upbringing of children and in the

end, responsible parenthood is the key towards a brighter future for the youth. This duty of
parents is very crucial and fragile because their lies the hope of the fatherland. The

accomplishment of their duties is the indicators of a better society. So parents shall assure the

welfare of their children because in the very first second that they have decided to engage in the

process of pro-creation, they have also taken the huge responsibility of stewardship among their

possible offspring who will later on become the children of the society.

Refernces:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Child Development|CDC. Retrieved September 5,
2013, from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle.html

Evangelista-Sia, M. L. (2004). Erick Erickson Psychological Model. In M. L. Evangelista-Sia, Psychiatric

Nursing: A textbook and reviewer (pp. 12-21). Quezon City: RMSIA Publishing.

Lee, K. (2013). Child Development: Your Six-Year-Old Child|About.com. Retrieved September 5, 2013,
from About.com: http://childparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Child-Development-
Your-Six-Year-Old-Child.htm