Society can’t forget the young
A child’s behaviour is not shaped by parental guidance alone and has to be seen as a social responsibility (“Emirati boy stabbed to death in teen grudge”, Gulf News, March 7). The effects of globalisation have come home and parents are increasingly hard-pressed for time to look out for their children. Teachers have always played a great role in moulding the character of children but nowadays they just seem to be doing it for money and are failing to inspire the younger generation to take to books or develop creativity based on their interests. The incident [mentioned in the report] is symptomatic of a defective social set-up and will spread if it is not corrected by the authorities and members of society.
From Mr Shafeek Mattool
Dubai
Bad influence
It is very sad to see the direction our generation is headed towards. I am a teenager and know what is going on in our minds. I blame the western ‘hip hop’ culture for this. Unfortunately teenagers these days have only picked up the wrong ideas from the West. They think they’re ‘cool’ if they form gangs, threaten people and because of this fad they think the only way to gain respect is to become a ‘gangster’ when they don’t really know what it even means. In many residential areas you can see graffiti and some gangs try to make certain areas their territory. I have witnessed many incidents where children come out with knives and hockey sticks to beat someone over a small argument. Parents should make sure they know what their children are up to and not get into trouble.
From Mr Prakhar
Dubai
Moral support
I have a teenage son and we also faced a similar problem, recently. He went to the bus stop to bring his younger brother home at 2pm. Two boys approached him and asked him for his mobile and sunglasses. When he refused, they slapped him and then ran away. My son immediately came back and told me everything. I accompanied him to the stop and since then we are trying to locate those boys. In the society we belong to in India, boys have more restriction than girls and they cannot roam on the streets for fun. When going out, we accompany our sons similar to how we would with our daughters. As a parent, I would suggest being a friend to your teenagers and accompany them — don’t leave them by considering that they are grown ups. Boys need more moral support from their parents.
From Ms Bhavna Vinay Pant
Dubai
Anger management
[The attack on the teenager is] an unfortunate event which took away an innocent’s life. Truly an eye opener and a lesson for all parents to keep a watch on who our children spend time with and what they do while they are out with friends. It’s unbelievable and shocking to see that young children have so much hatred and anger these days. A few days ago, I was threatened by a teenager who had parked his car in my allocated space. When I told him the spot was allocated to me, the teenager got upset and started abusing me and yelled at me in public.
From Mr Faiz Sharif
Dubai
Lack of parks
One thing I noticed while living in the UAE was the lack of recreation programmes and facilities – there are many for profit classes and camps, but none for public recreational opportunities that are at a low cost or free and widely available. Unfortunately, sometimes when children get bored and aren’t surrounded by positive motivators, they tend to get into mischief. It is the city’s responsibility to have functioning and progressive parks and recreation departments for the benefit of its citizens.
From Ms Sara D.
Oregon, US
Introduction to manners
This case will be an eye opener for parents. Parental guidance and teaching good morals to our children is very important, since this generation is manipulated by our bad surroundings. So, I guess educators should introduce a course on good manners and right conduct in the curriculum for basic education.
From Mr Mitchell Lapenid
Dubai
Need for more etiquette
It is almost a common aspect to see such ‘cults’ roaming around aimlessly. These gangs are mostly teenagers who participate in mischievous activities. Parents should make an earnest attempt and endeavour to trace the company their children keep and who they have befriended. Lack of moral values, civility, nourishing good temperament and etiquettes are the pivotal reason for such derailments among these children. Parents should inform their children to curb the spread of such aberrancy in the living community.
From Mr C. S. Dheen
Dubai
A difficult task
It is very sad to see such things happen. I will not blame teenagers entirely. Today, media is full of violence and a bad influence. As parents, we have to give our children some time and teach them moral values. We have to constantly guide them. They are not mature enough to do the right things. It is not easy to handle teenagers. So more time should be dedicated to them and they should be treated as friends – gently. Even schools should give importance to teach them some moral values instead of aiming only at high tech education. Children are a gift from God and our responsibility and we should handle them with care. The games they play and what they watch on television should be monitored.
From A Reader
Sharjah
