Children need discipline

IF research was to be conducted on children’s behaviour between the age groups of 5-14 years in Port Moresby alone, it will reveal that most parents lack disciplining their children.
Basic education begins at home and it is the parents’ foremost responsibility to teach and discipline their children to be good individuals and citizens.
Parents should teach their offspring to respect others, teach them not to listen to bad talk or bad influential music, not to watch adult movies, not to bully smaller kids, fight, steal and not to engaged in any negative activities.
Parents please discipline and advise your children to keep away from negative influence that may affect their upbringing.
Impart in your child the good and positive words to say and things to do.
The positive values imparted will be reflected in your child’s classroom and community automatically qualifying them to be good citizens.
It is we parents as caretakers, nurturers, advisers, teachers and educators who will make or break the future of our children.
Lest we forget a very old factual quote, ‘we reap what we sow’.
Below are basic points that might help your child’s nurturing:

• YOU should never send your child to buy your betel nuts or cigarettes. First biggest mistake from parents, uncles, aunties and relatives;
• NEVER speak foul language (vulgar) in front of your kids. Children randomly imitate parents or elder relatives they look up to as role models;
• ADVISE your children not to follow or listen to friends who are naturally violent in school or your neighborhood. Kids must always report to a teacher if bullied at school or report you if within the neighborhood, so the perpetrators can be disciplined appropriately;
• MONITOR your children’s movements within the neighborhood, as long as he/she does not get into questionable situations;
• DISCOURAGE your children not to listen to boom boxes, stupid music or watch video clips that may contain a lot of rubbish. This are brain-wash materials that will never help in your child’s development;
• HAVE time reserved by keeping the interest of educational learning within your children by helping out constantly with their homework;
• BUY your children a sporting ball and spend some recreational time on several scheduled afternoons at a community sports field nearby; and,
• TRY taking your children to a nearby church. Even if you may not be a church goer, please just for one or two or three Saturdays/Sundays for the sake of your children.

Lastly, all schools should encourage religious learning in classrooms.
For example, a teacher may start the day with a short prayer followed by a bible verse and tell a short bible story.
The points above will build good character values in our children and result favorably towards their academic performance as they progress through their education.
I have children attending Ted Diro Community School and dislike ill-disciplined school children.
The school head teacher’s approach in disciplining and dealing with big-headed students is the positive way forward.
I’m proud of my children attending school there but will be very disappointed if the good name of Ted Diro is tarnished by undisciplined violent natured minority (who bully innocent kids).

Concerned Parent
HOHOLA, NCD