Ideally, human values and wholesome practices in the Buddha Dhamma should be incorporated right from the time a child is conceived in the mother’s womb. These are to be reinforced by parents in the home as the child grows up so that the Buddha’s Sublime Teaching progressively becomes second nature to her or him.
Two specific teachings of the Buddha which regrettably are overlooked must be promoted as a matter of priority. The fist is the Sacredness of Motherhood and Holistic Mothercare referred to as in the Buddha Dhamma as Gabbha Parihara, that is, the holistic development of not only the healthy physical growth but also the of the unborn baby’s mental, emotional and spiritual development. The other is the teaching of Pubbacarya, that is, the duty of parents as the First and Foremost Teachers, and the corollary, of The Home as the First School.