Some people say that parents should control their children’s behavior from a very young age. What do you think?

I definitely agree with the view. Young children are beginners. They have lots to learn and one of the biggest lessons they must learn is to behave or act in an acceptable manner. So parents have the onus of instilling the best values in their children. They must do so from a really young age because a little late may be too late.

Firstly, restrictions create responsible and respectful children who, in turn, mature into respectful adults. They know the value of respect for others. They know the importance of relationships. They know their cultural values as well. They know their boundaries.

Moreover, children are like sponges which very easily absorb what is taught to them. If you teach them good values, they will imbibe them. If parents don’t realize their role and don’t bother much, children will learn from other sources like TV and the people around them. They learn whatever they see and observe and if no one tells them at an early age what is wrong and what is right, they may learn vulgarity and violence. Later on parents may find it impossible to make them unlearn those things.

Furthermore, if parents don’t control their child's behavior from a very young age, they may fall into bad company. They may start taking drugs under peer pressure. Once children become drug addicts, it is very difficult to bring them to normalcy once again.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, parents are responsible for bringing children into this world and it is their responsibility for instilling good behavior in them. So, the earlier they do so the better. If they keep waiting, things may go out of hand.