[Pushpa]

This is a great article with some nice insights, but sadly I think the boys it is aimed at will be the least likely to read it.

It would be great to see some practical advice given to the families of such young men on how to deal with these issues. To me the most obvious reason seems to be that these young men have everything handed to them on a plate, they live at home with their mothers, they have little to no responsibility towards anyone, why on earth wouldn't they be self-obsessed and selfish? They have too much spare time on their hands and as we all know the devil makes work for idle hands and all that. If they had to graft for every penny they spent, or work to supplement their families' income, or if they had to take care of a member of the family, or if they had to even pitch in with chores at home, or volunteer at a local charity or play football after school - they wouldn't have the time or leisure to get involved in shady activities.

Historically adolescents (male and female) were given more responsibilty at a younger age - in Islamic history there are tales of young men who led armies at the age of 16 or 17. Nowadays i don't even see any emphasis put on looking out for your younger siblings - to the great detriment of relationships within the family. I know siblings who barely speak to each other. What kind of lesson does that teach a kid? If home is the first place of learning, then if we don't teach our children to be mindful of authority and to protect those younger / weaker than themselves AT HOME, how can we possible expect them to translate those values into the wider world?

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a rant - eh , just thinking aloud.

Keep posting sixpak.