PARENTS are being urged to get more involved in their children’s lives since not doing so may result in them being taught the wrong things by someone else.
This advice came from Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite as he spoke at the graduation service of the over 40 pupils in this year’s National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) Project SOFT camp (Safeguarding Our Future – Today). The closing ceremony was held at the Church of the Nazarene, Bank Hall, last Saturday.
In his feature address, Brathwaite, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs, told the parents if they did not teach their children “everything”, someone else would.
He urged them to set guidelines, attainable goals and encourage their children to talk about “all their experiences whether good or bad”.
“Always keep the communication lines open and have regular discussions with your children. Spend more time with them and participate in meaningful work and activities.
“If you do not teach the children yourself, someone else will and therefore it is incumbent on you to teach them everything. And when I say everything, I mean to teach them everything,” he stressed.
Brathwaite also urged the parents to lead by example, noting that they had a responsibility to help the youth in the fight against drug and alcohol abuse.
He congratulated the NCSA on its efforts and advised the graduands, all of whom would have entered secondary school this month, not to yield to peer pressure.
The graduands would have taken part in the yearly camp, which is in its 10th year, from August 22 to 28. During this time, they would have learned various life skills and received education on the importance of abstaining from drugs and alcohol.
