“Parents should teach them good etiquette and manners — boys especially. They should teach them how to treat girls and women,” Justice Nagarathna observed.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday advised parents to spend time talking to their children instead of enrolling them in too many after-school activities such as music, art and taekwondo.
Hearing a child custody case, a two-judge Bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan questioned the practice of enrolling children in multiple classes to give them a competitive advantage.
“Parents should teach them good etiquette and manners — boys especially. They should teach them how to treat girls and women,” Justice Nagarathna observed.
She said parents should impart such values themselves instead of relying excessively on additional classes, as personal interaction helped strengthen the bond between parents and children.
An advocate appearing for one of the parties submitted that such classes contributed to a child’s all-round development in a highly competitive world.
Justice Nagarathna responded that too many classes were not good for children.
“Parents should just sit with them and talk to them. They will become better children, and there will be better interaction,” she said.
“Instead of sending them to art, music, taekwondo or some other class, you take a class with your children,” Justice Nagarathna added.
