Since the beginning of humankind, endless opinions have and continue to be formed. As a result, our society is in a constant war of persuasion. Sometimes cajolery happens by force, other times it happens through argumentation, but a lot of the time it happens because one is innocent and doesn’t know any different.
Think back to the days of childhood, the days of innocence, the days of fun and play, the days where mother and father were the gods of the world. The words they utter, the commands they mandate, and the opinions they share are all taken in by their offspring. If the parents have a viewpoint, their child will have the same viewpoint. If the parents have a belief, the child will have the same belief. If the parents hold someone in disdain, then their child will hold that same person in disdain.
This is a problem. Society is sheltering children from the real world and they are only exposed to one set of viewpoints: their parents’. While believing the same thing as a parent is acceptable, the belief in the same thing a parent believes due to not knowing any better is not. Parents are meant to guide, advise, and teach their children, but parents should not force their sentiments on their children.
Children should be able to have the freedom to formulate their own viewpoints on topics. It’s important that young adults be dissuaded from things like drugs, alcohol, and sex before adulthood, but they should be educated as to why those things are inadmissible. In regards to other topics such as political viewpoints, sports, career choices, and similar topics of interest, children should be allowed to create and express their own perspectives.
A lot of the time children are made to live their parents’ fantasies and are not allowed to pursue their own dreams. Some children have their lives mapped out for them and don’t get to express their true opinion. This issue can lead to a child developing mental instability and depression because they are being forced to do or believe in something they hate by their parents.
Children should have the right to choose their own futures and map out their own destinies. Parents should guide their children to make the right choices, but should not dominate their children’s lives. Adolescents need to have some independence because eventually they will become adults, and if they grow up without experience in the real world they will face numerous additional challenges.
