THE EDITOR, Sir:

Parents hold the key to this country's future. While having a discussion about life, our Creator, and religion, my 12-year-old son asked me if I believed there was a Hell and Heaven.

At that moment, I realised how powerful a position we have as parents.

I could influence this young mind, I could plant the seeds of something that would bear fruit later on. I told him my views, as well as enquired of his. I asked him if he thought he had a conscience and why. I asked him about things that were considered right and wrong, and why that was so.

At 12 years old, he knows stealing is wrong because it is not fair to take what is not yours. He understands the concept of being fair.

How many of us parents take the time to explain or share experiences with our children, not just about right and wrong, but about fairness?

How many of us take the recent incidents of mob violence and put ourselves in the picture and explain to our young ones the unfairness of being attacked and beaten to death without a fair chance of defending oneself?

Mothers and fathers, I implore you to step back and look at the big picture. We will see that it starts with us. We need to teach children to be fair, to be kind, to be tolerant. As we have seen, kids learn best by example.

MARIE JOSEPH

Mariejo_candy@hotmail.com