Times Of Swaziland: THE NEED TO RESTORE  THE FAMILY STRUCTURE

THE NEED TO RESTORE  THE FAMILY STRUCTURE
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The Editor on 11/10/2018 05:15:00


Sir,
Thank you for allowing me space in your widely read newspaper to share my views
about the importance of the family structure or unit.
I have been noting that currently there is a problem in our society, where
children kill their parents, while husbands do the same to their wives. I will
not dwell much on the latter but my main concern is the first one.
While it might not be the main cause, I do feel that one of the reasons we
witness incidents of children killing their own parents is because the family
structure has been broken in most communities. This is not good because it has
repercussions for the future of society as a whole.
First, we need to remind ourselves that every part of the family is important in
one way or the other. This means, therefore that children, since they are also
members of a family, are important yet at the same time we need to understand
that they are one of the most sensitive and perceptive people you will ever
find.
As a parent, it is important to understand that rebellion in children often
comes during the teenage years when children feel their parents are asking them
to behave in a way not consistent with their own behaviour.
This is not to blame parents, but it is a fact that a lot has changed in the
manner in which our children are raised. In many instances, only one parent is
there to witness the growth of the children and this does affect what they will
grow up to be.
In other instances, the children are made to grow in environments that are not
as friendly as expected and this causes them to become rebellious and show no
respect to parents.
In yester-years, things were better as the family structure was intact in
society and children knew their place. Children understood that they had to
respect those older than them.
Nowadays it is like we are raising children who have no desire and part of the
cause is the fact that they do not have the loving parents who will raise them
in an environment that is a perfect laboratory for experimenting their
potential, beliefs and identity.
The fact of the matter is that the children today experience a far more unequal
world than did our grandmothers and grandfathers, and it might get worse as they
grow because their futures will probably be  determined by the circumstances of
their birth. Such a scenario then causes confusion in the way that they do
things, which is why we see them becoming violent to their own mothers and
fathers.
The only way this can be solved is through restoring the family structure,
otherwise there is no hope!
Kuhlekwentfu
Lobamba.