Respect, good manners, and tolerance seem to be values and behavioral traits that have been lost in today’s human relationships.
Analyzing recent events, all are connected to education—a universal right that is losing the importance it holds for humanity’s evolution and the comprehensive development of individuals.
With elections just days away, the ongoing exchange of insults, slander, and attacks between opponents sets a poor example for voters of what respect and decency should look like.
The media’s sensationalism and harassment of a father grieving his son’s tragic death, the mental instability of those who inexplicably attack others, or the eccentricities some seek to imitate all reflect the poor upbringing prevalent today.
Regardless of the era or generation, education is a necessity for engaging with the world. The fast pace of modern life, where parents must work and leave their children in others’ care, demands breaking inherited cultural paradigms.
Few households today can afford to hire a nanny or in-home caregiver.
Good upbringing, beyond what is taught in classrooms, must begin at home. It is the new and future generations who are being shaped as citizens of an increasingly demanding, diverse, dynamic, and technological world.
“Children come into the world through you, but ultimately, they are for the world,” says a family therapist. This statement, which many refuse to accept, makes sense when recognizing that the contexts in which children are growing up have evolved into more diverse and ever-changing environments.
Fear of these changes leads many parents to raise their children based on their own past experiences, not wanting them to suffer as they did. Now, parents struggle between excessive control and limitless permissiveness, overprotection or indifference.
Poor upbringing is nothing more than overprotecting children and giving in to their every demand.
Spoiled children are often raised based on their parents’ unmet needs and frustrations. Poorly raised children are more likely to become vulnerable, indecisive, incompetent, and dependent adults.
The challenge of good upbringing in all areas should always seek a balance between love, discipline, and support to enable today’s children and youth to become autonomous individuals—free from dependencies, with the self-esteem and strength to define their own life paths. Therefore, raising children with excess can diminish their ability to become competent and happy individuals.
No parent wants harm to come to their children, but the best way to protect them is to support their growth by sharing both positive and challenging situations, the risks and opportunities that will help them develop the tools to face the world.
A person is not well-raised simply because they have multiple degrees, attended the best schools, or had all their demands met.
Good or poor upbringing lies in respecting the principles and values inherited from home, multiplying the example set by family, and knowing how to make decisions—even if not always the right ones—that will help one grow, mature, and learn to engage with others through respect for differences, solidarity, and tolerance.
Omaira Martínez
Colombian journalist oma66co@gmail.com
Image: Educrea
