It is that time of the year again – shell-shocked children and frantic parents. How long is this tragic farce going to continue? We start to abuse our children from five years of age – when they start school.

Blow the myth out of the sky – it is not the parents’ fault. No parent can stand to see their child pass through this agony – the long hours of study following hours of homework, no time to relax, practise sport, do anything remotely enjoyable. It is not the system, it is the people who create the system who are at fault.

Is it any wonder that children and youths turn to drugs and bingeing at weekends? What else can give them some relief from the gruelling tension that they have to endure since childhood? Pity the children, falling over like ninepins – and cry!

Pauline Saliba

Naxxar