The present times are witnessing a widening gulf between parents and their children. The communication gap is ever-increasing. Barring some exceptions, it is the parents who are responsible for this. They do not give enough attention to the children in their childhood and seldom care for their moral development.
Before parents realize this folly, the children develop certain bad habits. Some of the most horrible of these are drug and alcohol intake. It is then that the parents suddenly wake up from their slumber. They then undertake all sorts of measures to curb these bad habits. The worst of these measures is scolding and threatening them of dire consequences.
Many a time, it is too late at this juncture for them to undertake any remedial measure.
Parents must realize that bad habits can develop in any child – even at times in a child who is brought up well. The best way to deal with such children is to build trust in them and help them in getting rid of these habits. Parents should not be harsh to their children to the extent that the children shy away from them and, if fact, dread them if they have done something wrong.
Parents must realize that the most successful parents are those whose children come to them – before going to anyone else – to confess any wrong they may have done.