Isn’t parenting entirely the role of parents? Lately, I’m beginning to think otherwise. Besides the housemaids and teachers who gradually adopted this role in our society, phones have taken over.

Since the emergence of modern technology that has made communication easier and faster, parents have resorted to this gadget to keep them informed on their children’s welfare.

Parents no longer return home during lunch break to check if their children have eaten or are doing their homework, they will only make a phone call to find out.

It is now a thing of the past for parents to check on their children’s teachers to monitor the children’s’ academic progress. They will just call and text the teacher to find out.

Back then when I was still in school, I would go for coaching during my school break and once in a while parents would come to check with the teachers to find out if we actually attended class and were behaving outside the confines of their watchful eye.

This scared most of us who loved strolling purposelessly, around town or dodging coaching to go visit friends because we knew our parents would unexpectedly visit the teachers while we are coaching.

Today, children are not afraid of such because they know that their parents don’t have the time—after all the a teacher is only a phone call away.

Parents don’t even have the airtime to waste on making lengthy phone calls to teachers since, they’ve got a whole load of work on their desks and can monitor their children’s progress on the phone.

So many young children are seen in bars, joints and night clubs today, skimpily dressed, just because parents no longer have the time to find out where and how their children spend time with friends.

Most children today own phones, so the parent will only call and the children will tell the parents what they want to hear. They will say they are reading with a friend, or are at church or home. Today more parents are engrossed in their work to notice anything since they return home late.

Children bribe their nannies with a little money so that they can lie to their mom or dad that the kids are safely tucked in at home yet they are actually out loitering or doing things they shouldn’t be doing.

I could come up with a whole book on how this cool gadget—the cell phone—has led to negative parenting.

Bottom line is, phones have been very helpful but they have led to less parent-involvement in upbringing their children. Because of phones, more children are spoilt rotten.

Parents shouldn’t fully rely on what they hear on the phone, they should take an active role in upbringing their children lest they get wasted.

If we don’t raise our children, the world will raise them wrong.

m.kaitesi@yahoo.com