Positive

“Oh dear, I am tired of waiting for my son to come for dinner. The food is getting cold. He told me that he will come after going to the gym” said Deepthi.

“Why are you going to so much trouble for your son’s meals? He is a teenager and will soon be an adult. Don’t spoil him. Everybody says that the biggest problem in Sri Lanka is the high Cost of Living but I think that it is mothers spoiling their sons. That is why grown men cannot take independent decisions” remarked Paul who was a psychologist.

“That is true. You find men going on strike if they don’t get their meal on time. Mothers have trained their sons to get their rice and curry and have regular meals. That is the be all and end all of their lives” said Nirosha.

“So what can we do? How can we change the way parents are bringing up their children?

How can we be Positive?” asked Deepthi.

“I think that everyone in the community should take a hand in raising children. Parents alone cannot do it. Mothers cannot cook and clean and do the marketing. Fathers cannot be out of the home only earning money though that is important. Elders should pitch in and children should be disciplined without simply eating, drinking and sleeping” said Paul.

“I know. It is easy to stuff your child with food and that is also the reason why so many children are fussy eaters. They are never satisfied with the food placed before them. I have found this to be true in both rich and poor homes. Even if the mother or father goes hungry, the child is somehow fed” commented Nirosha.

“So let us re-think about raising kids” said Paul.