Talking Points: what piece of advice would you give to your parents about parenting?

Less is more. Every child is special in their own way. So the duty of a parent is to help their children reach their full potential, without asking them to think in a certain way. Children should be free to make their own decisions, for example, about their career or university subjects. They should be allowed to make mistakes, learn from them, and stand up on their own two feet again. Parents should give just the right amount of guidance to their kids because overdoing it might do more harm than good.

Please do not lay down too many rules! I think it is important for us teenagers to gain as many experiences as possible. We should have the freedom to try things out and learn from them. Rules would just restrict this process. After all, we are growing up and will eventually move out to live and care for ourselves. It is important to be prepared for life in the outside world one day. Otherwise, we will have big problems being responsible adults later in life. What’s more, rules are there to be broken, so what’s the point?

Many of my classmates’ parents are very strict and they do not let their children hang out with their friends. On the other hand, my parents are very nice and they never force me to do anything. If I had to give them a piece of advice, it would be that they should tell me if my decisions are good or bad, because I am not mature enough to make the right call every time.

Parents should try to understand their children’s actions before they punish them. Some children may be naughty but most of the time there’s a reason for their bad behaviour. For example, some students refuse to go to school because they are being bullied or feel very stressed during lessons. Parents need to understand their feelings before they punish their children.

If their child does something wrong, they should punish them. But if their child is facing difficulties, they could provide some advice and work on solving the problems.

Try to understand your kids’ feelings instead of imposing your own expectations on them. Sometimes you might feel that you have their best interests at heart, but when you always want them to do things your way, you deprive them of their right to choose for themselves. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should spoil your kids by letting them go on their PlayStations for hours, but generally try to let go and allow them decide for themselves. Parents are there to provide guidance, not to make decisions for their kids, especially older and more mature ones.

In our next Talking Points, we’ll discuss:

We are now accepting your answers for this topic. To take part, email your answer with your name, age, and school, along with a nice, clear selfie (make sure it’s not blurry), to [email protected] by lunchtime on Monday. Don’t forget to include “Talking Points” in the subject line.