Adults should set good examples for kids

A viral video showing a teenaged girl first quarrelling with and kicking her mother and then a person who tried to intervene has triggered an online discussion about children's upbringing.

It all started when the woman and her daughter boarded the wrong subway train. They got off at a station on realizing they were on the wrong train, and that set them quarrelling even though it was the mother who was dragging their luggage, with the girl offering little or no help. In the midst of the argument, the girl kicked her mother six times.

When another passenger waiting on the platform intervened, the girl attacked him too, before the mother stepped in.

The man who made a video of the incident, another passenger, was so angry that he could be heard threatening to call the police if the girl did anything more.

That the mother was at the receiving end of endless torment is enough proof that her daughter lacks good upbringing. Although a healthy teenager, she did not even offer to help her mother, who was clearly struggling with their luggage.

When the girl kicked her, the mother just stood there. It was only when her daughter began attacking the other passenger that she tried to restrain her. But at no point did she once reprimand her daughter for kicking her or attacking the passerby.

It is the parents' responsibility to tell children what constitutes unacceptable or bad behavior, instead of just tolerating their whims. It is only by pointing out their minor mistakes that parents can prevent them from committing bigger ones.

Besides, it is necessary for parents to set examples themselves. In another incident on Friday, a boy was sitting with a man on an electric bicycle when he slipped and nearly came under a car. The man reacted by kicking the child. Are these the values we are passing on to our children even after all the education we receive on how to be a good parent?