A child is a family’s biggest asset. Taking care of this asset and moulding them into a responsible person is the first duty of the family, especially the parents. Exploitation of children in the form of child labor is a common issue but if done by the parents is a threat to the society. Unfortunately the asset is not given the required attention. The social environment has made the children as mere a mark of status for most of the parents. This new age of science and technology has raised the trend of nuclear families where a child has to do everything on his own. The effect of this social problem is not seen at the front end but is definitely breaking the bond between a parent and a child from the very beginning.
Exploitation by others can be once tolerated, but when done by a parent for his own selfish gains is worth thinking. A child living in months is left in crutches by parents because they have no time. Their main goal is to earn money. From the very beginning children do not get the homely touch, so they don’t even get that attachment, not even with the birth givers. The metro cities show this trend where maximum parents follow this because of their needs. It is well and good if they are earning money but then what is the problem when a kid leaves his parent in their old age. Why not a kid is allowed for this? The relation gets better when nurtured from both sides.
Secondly, parents consider their child as a mark of status. This is an eye-seen incident. A young girl was forced to wear a gown by her mother for a party. She has to wear it irrespective of her wish. Some parents are so much involved in show offs, for which their own child has to pay. Parents should not force them to be as they want, support them for what they want. The relationship should be such that the child can share everything at home and is comfortable with his parents. The weakness lies here only, when there is lack of such environment and young ones find the outside world better and gets indulged in other activities.
Also, the metro cities have hype of children having multiple skills. Parents are known by the number of qualities their children have. They literally force the young ones to go for this option just because this will make them superior in front of others. The state of mind of a child deteriorates in this manner exponentially. A child’s own wishes are killed every time. Unfortunately, this is also much prevalent in the society.
Parents earning large sums of money is also creating wall between the two pillars of a family. The high class kids are seen with all modern day gadgets, when they are not even ten. It’s the parents who have given them such freedom, it’s them who have no time to look after them or it’s them who give them everything to do on their own. In 90s a child was first given a bat and a ball to play and the family members used to play together. But what happens now is just reverse. First of all there is no one to play and so better option parents find is to give them a play station so that they are free for their work. The mindset is to provide them with all the luxuries instead of getting involved with them. Providing them all the gadgets, giving them a high class life from the childhood, is taking the teens far away. The social involvement and touch is lost somewhere in midst of dollars. That is why children don’t value the words of their parents once they are grown big. There is no point in complaining when parents themselves have lost that control. It’s useless to blame the kids afterwards.
The comparison with other’s child is the favorite work of every parent. But it really hurts when a parent compares between his own children. It is embarrassing when one sibling is compared with the other one. What is the fault when one is not as smart as the other? What is the problem if one is more comfortable with the outside world and the other one is perfect at home? Why always blaming and forcing one to be like the other one? All can’t be same; rather everyone has his/her special qualities. Need is to identify the hidden skills and nurture them, rather than to modify them according to the wish of parents. A person good at household work is in no way less than a smart modern day girl. The length of cloths should not predict the worth of a person. If a parent is not going to appreciate this, then who else would?
These all the reasons, a child is being suffering from in this new era. And when he is grown big; he has no attachment with his parents. The curtain of smoke between them grows and grows and finally when the parents need them, children are far away. These young ones should be given a better treatment. The way parents will treat them from beginning, the same they will get in return. Love them; care for them; don’t exploit them as they are the future. It’s the relation between a parent and a child that decides the future of the family. It is really miserable to see a child being exploited by his own parents.

SANCHI MANCHANDA
MSCLIS
IIIT Allahabad