Today we see that children don't listen to their parents, teachers and elders. Well, this used be the case when we were young too. 

When men of my age were of school going age, in most households mothers used to be religious whereas fathers were busy in going to work, going to the bank and shouldering other home related administrative responsibilities. 

In general, boys used to emulate fathers more than mothers, when it came to attitudes and behaviour. I was no exception.     

I think that if I had developed spiritual interest like my mother, I would not have come across many difficulties in life. For example, if I had done Sandhyaa Vandanam every day immediately after my Upanayanam, I would not have got into a wrong marriage in 1982. This would have made my life and thereby my parents' lives, happier.

Similarly if I had listened to my father and took English Literature as my main subject in my first degree, I would have done my master's and probably Ph D and helped many students excel in the language (My father used to be proud of my English language skills). But as memorisation was very important in first degree exams in English Literature in those days, I dreaded taking up English Literature. (Even today in most Universities in India, English Literature and not English Language Teaching is offered as Main Subject at the first degree level).

As a Sanskrit verse says, mother, father, teacher and guest should be treated like God.