Parenting of adolecents - Essay Example

Parenting of Adolescents Parenting in the modern world has become much harder than in previous generations. While dangers and threats existed twentyand thirty years ago, those threats were made well-known. People realized they were there, and thus prepared their adolescents as best as they could. This was done without undue fear as the threats were real. In this day and age, however, parents find themselves fretting over dangerous situations and possibilities that they do not even know exist for their adolescents.

They fear that their adolescents are at risk for every possible situation, whether it is being in an accident as result of driving drunk or simply just the thought of them being off on their own. Parenting is harder in this current world because many parents do not seem to know when too much fear is too much, or when they are not displaying enough concern. Some parents fear more than they should, which often results in their adolescents being uncertain and scared of the world. Instead of growing up and exploring the world that is available to them, they prefer to remain under the protection of their parents -- something that many parents are more than happy to offer if it means not having to let go of their children.

Stepping back enough to let their children grow and move on is perhaps the hardest part of parenting in general. There are parents that do not feel that they have taught their children everything they need to know about growing up and living on their own. Due to this, some parents just increase their overprotection, which can be seen as an unconscious attempt at keeping their children from leaving. Parents seldom know when they have taught their children all that they can to prepare them for the world.

Unfortunately, this is when many of the unfounded fears come out. As a result, a parent can either push their child away, or they can make their children have their own unfounded fears. Parenting styles have adapted to this changing world in the sense that most parents have become overcautious, which has led to overprotection and controlling behaviors. While they will always want what is best for their children, they frequently go about the wrong ways to ensure that their children have the proper knowledge they need for growing up.

Nowadays, parents want to know everything that is not only going on in the lives of their adolescents, but often in the lives of their adolescents’ friends. They want to understand every possible situation that could arise so that they can prepare their children. While parents may call what they do ‘concern,’ their adolescents are more likely to call it ‘nosy’ or ‘untrusting.’ These newfound parenting methods can have series consequences in regard to how their children grow up, in accordance to Erikson’s stages of development.

When a child is in their adolescent stage, they should be discovering their identity outside of family and finding their place in society and the world. Adolescence is the time when young adults should be finding identity, but many of the new parenting methods are only halting this growth. When parents become overprotective and shelter their children to the point where the children are unable to survive on their own, a vital part of their growth as independent human beings has been denied to them.

Their only identity from that point is with their parents. Works Cited Pickhardt, Carl. “Fearful Parenting of Adolescents.” Psychology Today. N.p., 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.