From Parliament house to the street, people talk about moral values in life. Moral values are subjective, no doubt. However, some believe that moral values and religion are inter-related. The crime rate in the country has increased due to unemployment, poverty and greed.

In other words, the moral or religious fabric of our society has significantly deteriorated. More and more people are being possessed by wealth and power. We see a more permissive society where sexual engagement among unmarried couples is becoming a norm rather than an exception. We often read about students engaging in explicit sexual behaviour. These are all elements related to the decay in moral and religious values in society.

But when students start exhibiting explicitness in sexual behaviour to the extent of allowing their activities to be video recorded to exhibit sexual freedom for some thrill or material gain, it only shows that they are too immature or are emotionally and mentally perturbed. This cannot be accepted in our society as it is generally perceived as morally and religiously not right to do so.

And when students get involved in explicit sexual behaviour, parents start to get ‘worried’ despite what these parents may make out of their own moral or religious values. Thus, if parents desire a happy and an unworried life, they should play a more positive role in bringing up their children.

Parents should not take it lightly when their children show symptoms of delinquency relating to unacceptable sexual behaviour. Without parental guidance, most children, in fact, grow up to understand little about the adverse effects of sexual liberty.

Most social studies on child development have shown that among the many factors influencing behaviour and character-building, a parental role is still the most persuasive and effective means to instill positive values.

A child’s emotional and mental development is best monitored by parents. Parents are making a serious mistake by believing that the solution to their children’s future well-being in terms of character lies with teachers, counsellors and motivators.

When students are ‘on the loose’ or involved in morally unacceptable sexual behaviour, parents should not hastily blame the school or society at large. The society, for that matter, is technically beyond our control. Parents still have to play a pivotal role in bringing up their children to conform to some of the morally-accepted norms in society and edify them to reject what is deemed unconstructive.

Teachers and counsellors in schools are there only to augment and imbibe good values to students, but the home environment and the parents should do a lot more in helping children grow up with a positive mindset.

Studies in some developed countries have shown that girls as young as 14 and boys at 15 years old have involved themselves in sexual acts and prostitution. There are many underlying reasons to this phenomenon – parental neglect, peer influence, social aspirations and poverty.

The situation here at the outset up may not be that serious yet, but the signs are already there to indicate some decay in moral values amongst our teenagers. Uncontrolled exposure to the negative side of the Internet, a high divorce rate, single parenting and lack of parental roles, poverty and social affluence are the causative factors to this predicament.

Only through a good religious, moral and strict but compassionate upbringing at home can parents help their children to stay away from untimely sexual activities or them drifting into prostitution.

A good family bond could be instilled through honest relations between parents and children. No matter how busy parents are, they should find time to be with their children to build this natural family bond to gain respect from the latter. Children would stay away from undesirable social activities if they have respect for their parents.

Poverty, on the other hand, should not be an excuse. Children who are brought up with frugality as a way of life – teaching children to live within their means – will not easily succumb to sexual activities to fulfil their material desires in life.

Many children who grew up in poor families have shown exemplary character in life. On the contrary, there are children endowed with wealth and affluence who have gone astray morally.

Parents can spend a fortune on outside guidance to help their children differentiate between what is right and wrong in societal life, but parental love, supervision and time spent with children are still the most effective ways of helping them lead a morally-accepted lifestyle.

Unfortunately, most parents these days have little time for their children. Our lifestyles and needs for a better income in life have deprived our children of the precious time we need to spend with them.