Parents! are we to be blamed if our children live to be indiscipline and disrespect?

We ‘re in the midst of crisis with our children because Ghanaian parents are either not paying attention to what is going on or not doing their work. If they are, they would realize that most children today barely read, write (except with their thumbs on their cell phones.), and are not well-behaved or respectful. They have selective memories and not generous with their time, energies or courtesy.

The Ghanaian children are confused as hell because what we do as adults (parents) are different from what we tell them. Parents are not taking responsibilities for teaching their kids the principles of successful, productive and responsible life.

As there is a saying that goes “the end depends on the beginning”. Yes, the child’s success depends on how you raise him/her today. If we pay less or no attention on them, what will then happen to their lives in future?

Why am I saying that?

Too many parents are ‘lazy’ or otherwise not involved with matters that helps in the properly raising of their offspring. They often don’t want to get up off their butts to show as well as tell, and some of them don’t want to interrupt the viewing of their favorite television shows, long enough to enforce the ‘rules’. Unfortunately, this bad parenting is socio-economic blind-it affects every member of the society – rich or poor!

And, I’m not talking about people who should never have had kids to begin with. We all know those folks are everywhere. I’m talking about those parents who take no interest in their kids and have zero ‘values’, worthy of passing on.

For the most part, the problems (political, social and economic) we have in this nation exist because of lousy training from Mama and Daddy. “Not my kids!” “This is a blanket statement”. Oh really? I recognize that there are always exceptions to every point so don’t bother pointing that out. However, my statements apply to most parents in most situations. Just look around your neighborhood. What do you see during funeral celebrations and Easter at Kwahu?

You don’t agree? Then you’re not paying attention. These days, well-behaved, respectful and level headed kids are exception, not the rule, and for the most part their parents are to be blamed.

Just look around. Our kids are a mess. They are over-intoxicated, overindulged in instant gratification, overweighed, over-entertained, indiscipline, disrespectful, illiterate brats with sense of entitlement syndrome and hooked on synthetic drugs to numb their frustrations.

Take a quick trip to our SHS campuses, you will definitely throw up, and come down to our Malls. You will see rude teens with their pants sagging on their butts and advertising their body parts, and smoking outside the front door. You will see also young, professional “sakawa millionaires” with their “gold diggers” in town, buying craps they don’t need but just to satisfy and massage their deflated egos and impress people who don’t give a crap about them.

When you leave the Mall, go home and turn on your TV and watch the news for a while. You will see that it’s full of stories of people who either want to over throw the government – because things don’t go their way – or want to cheat the system. Armed robbery or homicide news is just the norm.

Don’t stop there. Change the channel to any of the evangelical-charismatic stations, which have turned Christianity outside down, all in the name of making tons of money on the backs of the wounded souls. Oh lord!

Flip the channel again and watch the entertainment shows and videos. Look at how the young celebrities are cursing, drunk, without underwear, showing off their cars, women, body parts and million dollar mansions. Yes, these are the role models for your kids. Kids model the behaviors that are perceived to be “acceptable” by parents or society. It still goes back to the fact that children learn or don’t learn their values and what is and isn’t acceptable behavior from their parents. Those teens will grow into adults and practice that behavior in their personal and professional lives, creating a society that reflects the cumulative result of parenting training.

Now let’s look at the dangerous effects of bad – parenting in Ghana.

1. Lousy customer service

2. Illiteracy

3. Lousy education system

4. Crime

5. Teenage pregnancy

6. Teen alcoholism

7. Corruption

8. Bad driving

9. Laziness

10. Childhood obesity

11. Apathy

12. Sexism

13. Lack of money management and investment skills, etc

Have I been clear or should I keep adding more to the list?

The bottom line is "could societal problems pretty much be prevented or solved through better parenting"?