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PARENTS have an important role in the promotion of healthy adolescent behaviours that can influence positive developmental trajectories and health outcomes.
Parental monitoring is a central component of the parent-child relationship with the potential to reduce adolescent risky behaviours.
Negative behaviours and experiences include sexual behaviours, substance and drug abuse, violence, and indicators of poor mental health.
According to online studies, parental monitoring refers to parental awareness, watchfulness, and supervision of adolescent activities in multiple domains (i.e. friends, school, and behaviour at home), and communication to the adolescent that the parent is concerned about and aware of those activities.
Parents need to be aware of various forms of delinquency, including substance abuse, risky sexual behaviour, criminal activity, truancy, and cyberbullying.
Monitoring shouldn’t solely focus on overt acts but also on subtle changes in attitudes or behaviour.
This is because teenage years are marked by significant physical, cognitive and emotional changes.
During this crucial period, parental guidance and monitoring play a vital role in shaping adolescent behaviour and choices.
We carry a worrying case of juvenile antisocial behaviour in this edition of a 16-year-old boy from a local school who was taken into custody after being caught stark naked with a 67-year-old man while they were performing sex acts on each other in a bushy area near Sauerstown suburb in Bulawayo.
The boy was busted in broad daylight with the old man while also passionately kissing and caressing each other.
They caused a rumpus in court when they brazenly admitted that they were lovers.
The case is a clear indication that parental monitoring is an active, multidimensional process that includes setting boundaries and establishing an open exchange of information or knowledge related to a child’s whereabouts, companions and activities.
Effective parental monitoring is not about micromanaging or controlling, but about fostering open communication, trust and healthy boundaries.
It’s about providing support and guidance while allowing for exploration and autonomy.
Studies suggest that positive parental involvement, including appropriate monitoring, can lead to improved academic performance, better social and emotional outcomes and reduced chance of risky behaviours.
In addition, parental monitoring has also been identified as a central component of the parent-child relationship, with the potential to reduce risk behaviours, reduce involvement in situations that might involve high-risk or negative behaviour and promote environmental contexts that support positive behaviour and decision-making
Effective parental monitoring, built on trust and open communication, goes beyond mere control.
In sum, it is important to highlight that parental monitoring empowers adolescents to make responsible choices, reducing the risk of harmful behaviours like substance abuse or delinquency, and paving the way for a healthy and fulfilling adulthood.
Online Reporter