Many believe that childrens behaviour is in direct relation to how they were brought up,

assuming that a child would be bad if abused or that a child will be good if they led a
good life. As such, due to the increase in teenage delinquents and crimes, people place the
blame on irresponsible parents. Should parents be deemed as criminals for their childs
acts? There are many factors that affect the way a child behaves and bad parenting is only
one of these causes. Parents should not be held responsible for their childrens deeds that
are out of their control.
The writer contends that parents to know exactly what is going on in their kids lives and
be responsible for anything that may occur as a result of bad parenting. This assumes
that the cause for the illegal behaviour is solely due to bad parenting. When a child is
young, the parent controls every aspect of their life. They are responsible for the
upbringing of the child, ensuring that they have proper morals and values. A child may be
a beggar due to choice and easy money without work, or it may be the family conditions
too, but as long as one is a child, the moral responsibility lies with the parents who are
responsible whether he should work or he should read, or he should be committing
crimes. Socially, parents should be responsible that the child is committing crimes but
they cannot be responsible for the act itself. Parents do not have absolute control over
their childs actions. They cannot be held criminally responsible just because their child
committed the crime.
The writer further states that it would be unjust to punish someone in place of the one
who actually committed the crime, even if he willingly stands in. Everyone is responsible
for his or her own actions and should bear the consequences themselves. Parents should
not be held responsible as they are not directly involved in the act itself. Guilt is personal
and should never be forced onto someone else. The law cannot hold parents responsible
for something that their child did and in which they have no part in.
The writer also believes that bad parenting is not the only cause for a childs likelihood
of being a delinquent. There are many factors that affects a childs behaviour and
parenting is just one of those. Economic status, academic achievement, peer pressure and
the media can all affect a childs behaviour and their tendency of becoming a delinquent.
Schools responsibility for a childs behaviour is second to that of parents. Half of a
childs day is spent in school. As such, not only parents, teachers also have a part to play
in instilling proper moral values into the child. As a teacher, besides imparting invaluable
knowledge, he or she must also ensure that students conduct themselves properly. Poor
parenting is clearly not the only cause.