by Abraham Ansah

Created on: March 21, 2009   Last Updated: March 22, 2009

To me, one of nature's greatest gifts to mankind is choice. Our ability to have options and to think through issues separates us from the other species of nature's creation. However, the gift of choice is laced with responsibility and designed to bring a tranquil equilibrium for a peaceful co-existence not only among mankind but also, to the other elements of nature. So, what is responsibility and why is it important for our bare existence on this planet of ours.

We are responsible and accountability for raising our children until they reach their legal age. Responsibility is defined in the Oxford American dictionary as "legally or morally obliged to take care of something or to carry out a duty, liable to be blamed for loss or failure". The key words here are, liable to be blamed for loss or failure. Hence, once a decision is made for something tangible to be done or made, the element of responsible is introduced and the option of success or failure become part of the equation.

Therefore, for a baby to be nourished to a healthy adolescent with a well balanced cognitive activity established, is a duty, which falls squarely on the parents or for that matter, the parents are legally responsible for the upkeep of the child. Failure to live up to this responsibility exposes the parents as having renegade their parental duty. This duty is a legal social obligation that parents have to be responsible to their children and it is not the duty of the state or anyone else. The only exception of course, in this case, is either death, or incarceration in a correctional or a mental facility. If for any other reason, this responsibility is not fulfilled it constitutes a moral failure on behalf of the parents. A friend of mine told me of a teacher stationed in an inner city school in Newark, New Jersey. This teacher observed that one of her third grade students always came to school with her homework undone and had a general out look of untidiness. One day as the boy strolled to class, his bag was exuding with such an unbearable miasma, all the kids noticed the smell. The teacher checked the boy's bag and to her dismay, found out that the soiled underwear, which she had helped to pack three days earlier in the student's bag was still in there. Her responsibility in this case was to notify the appropriate school authorities, which she faithfully did. When the investigation was completed it was discovered that the student's mother had been addicted to crack cocaine and her live

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