The Editor, Sir:

Parents and guardians must be cognisant of the fact that socialisation plays a pivotal role in a child's development. Human infants require much 'mothering' if they are to survive at all.

The long period of dependency is quite useful, for it provides the child with time to learn and practise the skills and values of his/her group. Without this learning process, the individual would be unfit for living and working in society.

Members of the family (and in particular, the mother) are the child's first teachers, but many others will contribute to his/her development. The total process by which the relatively uninformed human organism becomes the person, able to respond to, and function with other human beings, is called socialisation.

It is against this background that I would like to implore parents and guardians to live an exemplary life, so that their children and grandchildren will emulate the good deeds which they possessed, which will help them to become better men and women of tomorrow.

I am, etc.,

PHILLIP WILLIAMS

wilphija@yahoo.com

4 Harribin Lane, Kingston 8