Attention From Their Parents example essay topic

The young people of Singapore are the hope of the future. In spite of all our parents and other adults who take care of us, the time is not far when we have to take over the reins from them and run not only our own lives, but the country as well. It is true that there are many things that we have in Singapore that can prompt us to take things easy and be content. It is so tempting to do nothing and just enjoy the benefits. But there is actually a lot that young people of our age can do to bring this country to greater heights. We often think of what our futures lays ahead of us.

As a youth of Singapore, I share the same views, dreams, aspirations and concerns of a normal teenager too. Society sees the youth of Singapore as spoilt brats who only craze for materialistic things, who worry about their boy-girl relationships. It is even worse when the society claims that we do not show any concern about what is happening around the world or in our own country. The truth is that our youths are constantly suppressed and overloaded with schoolwork and cramming for exams that they have little or no time to bother much about issues touching and concerning our society. Teenagers will have different needs compared to a young child.

As teenagers, we tend to develop different interests. We will also begin to go out with our friends more frequently, instead of going out with our parents or family members. Peer pressure also starts to set in. the problem starts when the attention the teenagers want is their parents' attention. Parents living in the twenty-first century are usually so caught up with work and will not be able to spend quality and quantity time with their teenager sons and daughters.

When they do not interact with their children, they will not know what their children's needs are. Therefore parents splurge on gifts and branded items to satisfy their children's 'needs'. However, gifts are not what their children want. When teenagers do not get attention from their parents, they will get the attention they desire by committing certain crimes that will anger their parents. I feel that parents should set aside a good amount of time for their children and I can say that pampering them with gifts, money and expensive things will not do the trick. Today, Singapore again faces physical and economic threats.

We have to deal with terrorism and the current SARS outbreak. Our economy has lacked shine for over two years. We worry about our parents' pay cut and the possibility of retrenchment. When the sole breadwinner of the family loses his job, we suffer as well. We should also be resigned to the fact that the government decides to reduce cost by cutting the employers' CPF (Central Provident Fund) rates and increasing the GST (Goods and Service Tax) by 1%. As a youth myself, we are constantly concerned about how we will fare academically in school so as to make ourselves and our parents proud and also balance our life with sports, leisure and play.

In a 1995 Survey, it was found that when asked what youth hope to do in the 21st century, most of the answers were in relation to personal or individual goals. Of the remaining, only 14.2% were in relation to the community or nation whereas only 3.8% were in relation to global roles. An interesting finding is that 25.2% actually have no idea what they would be doing. A related finding is found in the 2000 National Youth Council survey where it is found that 55% had not made plans to pursue their life goals. As for me, my three most important aspirations are to own my own house and car and moving on to further education. Many students work part-time in order to earn pocket money.

Quite a substantial number also work to gain experience and to occupy their spare time. They are not required to work in order to cover their education fees but they take up part-time work just to earn extra cash to support their lifestyle which covers daily expenses, food, clothes, and on anything they want. A very small proportion of youth put their part-time earnings into savings or education. Many are concerned about their friends, future career, or even physical appearance. It is true that the winds of change are blowing all the time.

Whether we will be the windmill that is powered by the winds and in turn generate growth, or we will be the concrete wall upon which the winds blows in vain will decide future events for the next fifty years, maybe more..