Parents, pay close attention to your children

Editor: Parenting can be a serious challenge and while I’m not a parent, I’m very concerned about our nation’s children. I was sitting recently at a restaurant in close proximity to the ET Joshua airport, when I noticed a few college students from both the Villa and Arnos Vale campuses. They were nicely dressed, especially the young ladies. I can only imagine how expensive it is to send these students to college and the sacrifice most parents make so that their children can access the best education.{{more}}

However, because of the surprising and disappointing behaviour displayed by these college students, I wonder if the students realize how much their parents endure for them. They seem to be of the belief that they can do anything, anywhere, whenever they feel like.

Have they forgotten the struggle it took to reach the college level of their education? Is it that they think they have reached the last level so they can act foolish? After parents invest so much in their children, it’s a shame to see how some of our girls allow themselves to be used by boys and so-called men, who don’t have any level of respect for them and don’t have their best interests at heart.

The young men who lurk around these female college students are lewd, loud and indisciplined; some of them

can’t begin to spell their own names, but they think that they are God’s gift to these female college students, who are so much more intelligent than them.

It’s difficult to understand what they see in these men who have nothing to offer in their educational growth. I’m not putting anyone down, but it’s time for these young ladies to realize that they shouldn’t associate themselves with those pimp type men. You have reached a step in your life when it’s time for you to stay focused on your education, put aside distractions and aspire to be the best you possibly can.

I’m making a special appeal to the parents and guardians of these college students to pay very close attention to their children. It’s essential to ask them questions such as: Who their friends are? Where they plan to go when they leave school? Who are they going with? What do they plan to do? How long do they plan on staying?

To these college students I’m asking you to place more emphasis on the company you keep, because company influences you to do things you normally won’t think of doing. Back in my day, churches, communities, police officers and neighbours played a big role in disciplining our children. Today, it’s all about ourselves. Maybe that’s the reason why they behave the way they do; should we go back to the good old days?

It’s time for our college students to buckle down and focus on learning, because college isn’t a club! I gone.

Kingsley De Freitas