I REFER to last Wednesday's letter by Mr Warren Mark Liew, 'Instilling values a complex task'.

He questioned this assumption: 'All parents and teachers are sufficiently willing and able to teach their children the best values concerning gender and sexuality.'

As a full-time mother and a part-time educator in a polytechnic, I have this to say.

Just as I cannot be the best parent, and can only do my best, there are also no best values concerning gender and sexuality. There are only values I believe in, and these are the values I want to inculcate in my child.

As a parent, I am definitely willing and able to teach my child this set of values. I chose to be a stay-at-home mum to do just that. And I believe teachers should concentrate on the biology of sex education.

I do not deny the power of external influences. I only hope that over time, the values I have imbued in my child will take root, hold strong, and guide her in making informed decisions and facing the consequences of her decisions.

Meanwhile, I am here to censor. My child is only three years old and, at this point, I am still uncertain when I will lift the censorship. Based on my experience of working with 16- and 17-year-olds, I believe my child will still need my guidance when she reaches young adulthood.

My guidance will be in telling her - yes, you can definitely think for yourself now, but have you considered why you are thinking what you are thinking?

We do not need to worry that Internet-savvy young people are denied alternative views. We have to worry how and why they choose to adopt that particular value.

And when I say 'we', I am referring to parents, not teachers.

Pearlyn Koh (Ms)

This article was first published in The Straits Times.