Jessica Leung, 16, Our Lady of the Rosary College Children know nothing about society's rules before they grow up. It is up to parents to teach their children how to behave properly and to become productive members of the community. Some may argue that school is like a miniature society. It provides children with most of the skills they need as they grow to become adults. There's no doubt schools can teach them many things. But it is parents who best know their children. Children spend more time at home than at school so parents can take better care of their children than schools can. That's why parents have a legal obligation to look after their children. The law is there to protect children. We cannot ignore the fact that some parents have no sense of responsibility towards their children. It is important that children are legally obligated to take care of their parents when they grow up. Society needs to set an example for our future leaders. If parents ignore their children, their children might copy their behaviour in return, starting a vicious cycle. Just as parents are obliged to take proper care of their children, to provide them with love and shelter and teach them skills to help them get on in the world, so too should their children be obliged to provide care for their parents when they are too old or sick to look after themselves. Cathy Chan, 16, CCC Kei Chi Secondary School Raising children for old age is a commonly held view in traditional Chinese society. It is rightly expected that children should take care of their parents when they grow up. As a daughter, I wholeheartedly support the idea of children repaying their loving parents. Nevertheless, I am against the idea of making it legally binding, which is a completely different matter. The practicality of legislation and enforcement is doubtful. When drafting a law, one of the most essential things to begin with is to make accurate and clear definitions of every key word. In this case, the key word here - 'care' - contains both physical and psychological meanings that would be difficult to define. Of course, we could set up certain rules or regulations, such as children giving a certain amount of money to their parents. But would this really be taking care of one's parents? I think many parents would prefer the loving company of their children than a monthly cheque. But vaguely defined laws create grey areas and are difficult to enforce. Parents or children may argue about their own definitions of what constitutes 'care'. I don't see how creating laws could help this issue. Our laws are meant to prevent crime and guide the courts in setting penalties. Making care a legal obligation would only weaken the bond between children and parents. True, sincere love and gratitude would be replaced by hard, cold laws. Children would feel obliged to look after their parents, instead of doing it for love.
