LEFT: Goddy Goddy. RIGHT: Prodigal: What I do is send my kids to schools that I believe have good models.- File photos

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

Many gospel artistes have admitted to being very mindful of bad influences on their children or close relatives; some are even willing to go as far as turning down an opportunity for the younger ones to study abroad.

"Yuh done know seh dem ting deh very prevalent in places like di United States, 'cause even di odda day dem a talk bout pass legislation fi teach certain tings inna school like it's all right to have parents of the same sex! Dem ting deh nuh right, cause is like dem a lead di kids fi believe that nothing is wrong with that, and it is something that should be accepted," one gospel artiste who declined to have his name published said.

Gospel deejay Goddy Goddy, said once schools are teaching something contrary to his Christian beliefs, then it would be a definite no-no.

"Inna my view mi wouldn't send my kids to a school like dat, cause if is a religion that is not embracing Jesus Christ an mi guh send my child there den dem a guh gi him certain teaching, suh wi would a keep him away," said Goddy Goddy who has three children, ages 18, 11 and 10 years old.

Always options

Gospel singer, Robert Bailey, who performs as a duo with wife, Jenieve, said this was not something that they are really concerned with when it comes on to their two children, ages seven and five years. He said there was always options to choose what best suits the individual's belief.

"It's just that usually, if you are a Christian, you normally think of getting your child into a school that would hold up the same principles of Christianity. So you find that you have a lot of church schools, while there are others that are non-denominational, so people just choose whichever will continue to share the same values," Bailey said.

However, for Prodigal, "as the scripture says, 'train up a child in the way they should grow and they will not depart from it'. So for my daughter, she was living in the States and she didn't like the school system and the idea that they could not pray in school and she was 13 at the time. But when we came back to Jamaica she was overjoyed".

Prodigal and his wife, Joan, also share two more children, a son aged eight, and a daughter, aged three.

"What I do is send my kids to schools that I believe have good models. Like my daughter, she attends a Christian school and my son attends a Christian-oriented school. I believe that because the way society is I have to send them to schools that will build up their moral values," Prodigal said.

He added that "but outside of that, people go to work every day and is not Christian jobs, but I can't tell my daughter what kind of job to do".

Stitchie was, however, not willing to take any chances with his daughter, who recently got into a college abroad, as he said they would be scouting around for another college as he was not comfortable with the Mormon influence at the one she is currently attending.