Today's Sunday Times has an article on the backpage written by Kwee Beng on the above title. Kwee Beng was on the MRT when he saw a woman feeding her son. He laments that what the parent did was wrong and that if kids are to grow up to be socially responsible, we must start them young. His words, 'Teach them the right values. teach them to respect the law. Or the poor child will grow up confused.'

How apt was it that the above article appeared today as I am also going to talk about todays kids' values. I was at a mall when they had an event where kids went up on platforms to joust. The winner is the one who managed to stay on the platform. If after 30 seconds or so and no one falls, the match is declared a draw. The winner gets a toy which cost at most a dollar and the loser a bookmark. If there is a draw, both would get a bookmark each.

While I was there enjoying a few rounds of matches, I noticed 3 ugly Singaporean behaviour in a short span of 10 minutes. One match had a pair of siblings, a younger brother losing to his older sister. Instead of accepting his lost and the bookmark, he created a fuss and refused to leave the area. His mother persuaded his sister to share the toy to no avail and the young brat continued to create a din. The organiser saw what happened and relented by giving the young boy another toy even though he had lost. I can't help by shaking my head at the parent who instead of teaching him the correct value of winning and losing graciously, had condone his behaviour.

I next saw another parent who just brought her too-young-to-joust kid right up to the organiser face and demanded for a toy. Hello! How cheapo can one get? Lastly was a drawn match between two kids. Since the match was a draw, both receive a bookmark but again, one of the parent had the audacity to go up to the organiser and ask for a toy. The parent simplily refused to leave after the organiser explained to her that for drawn matches, both kids would get a bookmark. Still she ignored the fact that the match was a draw and kept harassing the organiser for a toy. The poor organiser could do nothing except relenting yet again by giving her a toy.

Are these the kids we want Singapore's future to be based on? One who does not know the right values or the parent who simplily refused to tell them what is right and what is wrong. Alas, there is no hope for the future generation

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