As the debate over the strictness/flexibility of family values continues, the enforcement of these values itself has been highlighted by parents who have had their say on the matter.
These principles which include honesty, loyalty, integrity, education, justice, religion, respect and family time to mention a few, can either be strict or flexible. However, should they be enforced by parents on their children? The Tekes asked on the Family Talk segment of Whaats Up Lagos.
A caller says it is impossible for parents to be anything but “selfish” when it comes to instilling values in their children.
Speaking to the Tekes, he pointed out the position of the Bible in support of this notion. For him, “God gave us the template” to live by.
“There is no way as a parent you wouldn’t be selfish at some point, I can’t have a kid and allow them to make a choice for themselves because he/she doesn’t understand life yet.”
“Even God who created us gave us the template to live by despite giving us freewill, he knew we could make wrong choices. Parents must nurture their kids and part of it includes imposing some things on them,” he added.
On the other hand, there must be application of fundamentals, opined another caller. According to him, the field of psychology states that there are two basic models for raising kids, which can determine when or if to apply strictness or flexibility in instilling values.
“I put incentives to it when addressing values in my family, it helps them express themselves,” he explained.
