Bringing up children is one of the most rewarding tasks yet it is least appreciated. When I was growing up, I remember my parents always being on the lookout to see what I was doing, where and to whom (Heywood 22). Parents these days face more complicated challenges given that they have got to deal with external and internal challenges that come with the location one lives.
I believe that in past parents were strict than parents of today. A case in point is my parents who could not put up with any form of indiscipline. In our home, every act, good or bad was accompanied with a reward, good or bad. So therefore every act of indiscipline could receive a thorough punishment, something that made my siblings, and I behave responsibly in order to avoid being punished.
On the other hand, children of today expect too much from their parents to such an extent that they intimidate them. They do so by using laws that have been put in place to protect them. Children of today can offend their parents and expect them just to sit there and watch them as if nothing happened. In fact, these laws are not good in the upbringing of children. A child can even go on to threaten a parent that they can call 911 in order to have their way (Archard 16).
The changing times have come with new trends in child rearing. In the past mothers would stay at home and take care of the children but today, nannies and child care centers have been left to do much of the work. Parents and especially mothers go out to work and spend much of their time at work and not at home with their children. While at home, children are accorded more screen time than family sharing time as it used to happen in the past. Even with these differences, it is fair to consider the fact that discipline and lack of it have continued to be one of the top agendas.
The greatest achievement that a parent in the 21st century can have is, bringing up responsible children. This can be achieved only if the parents fully take up their roles and mould their children to whom they want them to become. It is a difficult journey to take yet very easy if parents would just try to be in charge of the situation. It is for a fact that this is not easy but if one puts their mind and heart into doing this, they can stand the test of time and be the best parents ever.
Works Cited
Archard, David. Children: Rights and Childhood. New York: Taylor & Francis. 2004
Heywood, Colin. A History of Childhood. Malden: Blackwell Publishers. 2013
