I believe that parents do have the right to know what is going on in the lives of their children. It’s only natural to be protective of your kids. However, there are boundaries that parents should respect. I imagine that adults wouldn’t like having their privacy constantly invaded and being treated as if they were untrustworthy, so expecting teenagers to put up with that sort of treatment isn’t exactly fair. I can’t see any teen that I know going along with the agenda of nosy parents either.
At younger ages, such as fourteen, parents should pay close attention to what’s going on with their kid. There’s a lot of changes that go on during that time and sometimes kids don’t deal with it as well as others might. Having enough insight into how a teenager is feeling and what they may be dealing with can really save a lot of trouble from happening down the road. Kids that are that young aren’t mentally mature enough to make the right choices in some situations, so I think parents need to be there to give them guidance and support. Rules like where they go, who they see outside of school and how late they’re allowed to be out may seem unfair and I know they make most teenagers angry, but those are only set in place for our own good.
For example, when I was growing up my parents told me I had to be home before the streetlights came on (which in my opinion was ridiculously early, but alas). Sure, I whined about it because come on, it was a stupid rule, and I always pushed the rule to the limit. Nevertheless, I look back on it now and I know they only made that rule for my own safety. They just didn’t want their thirteen year old daughter running around the neighborhood in the dark alone.
However, as teenagers get older parents should learn to ease up on how controlling and prying they are with their kids. Nineteen years old, for example, is a bit old for a parent to be telling them what time to come home and who they can’t hang out with. Eventually all teenagers have to grow up and move out, essentially becoming independent from mom and dad. Keeping too close of a watch on someone who just wants to grow up makes them feel stifled and quite frankly irritated with their parents. Of course we know that adults mean well, and they only want to protect us from at least part of the bad things in life, but they can’t do that constantly. Restricting us in too many ways keeps up from experiencing life and learning valuable lessons first-hand.
I agree with what you said about how teens should have some privacy but parents have a right to know what their kids are up to also. I also agree that teens should have limitations like you said a curfew. I like what you said and I agree with your opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Kaitlyn. I think that parents should watch over their kids when their kids are young, but when their kids get older, the parents should ease up on the rules and restrictions. Though, I think that no matter what age, parents shouldn't be so nosy. Kids need their privacy and parents shouldn't push them to give their right to privacy up. So, parents can be protective, but just not nosy.
ReplyDeleteIts all very agreeable, if parents don't let us make misteaks then how are we ever going to learn that it was wrong or you shouldn't do that. But the problem nowdays is that parents aren't involed enough in their childerns lives, so they wont be able to tell their kids that they did wrong and here are the reasons.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was stupid when my parents gave me stupid times to come home when it would just be too early to leave, but I think that as we get older we start to understand why are parents made the rules that they did.