Parental Communication Initiative as An Answer to Most of the Social Issues - Essay Example

Communication may be the Answer Communication lines between parents and children are often non-existent in the United States especially in this generation. This should not be the case. Communicating between these 2 entities could be the answer to most of the social issues that are being faced by a lot of teenagers. One problem that can be sited is teenage pregnancy. Another one is teenage vices. According to the American Pregnancy Association website, almost 470,000 babies were born to teenage mothers every year.

If communication lines were open between parents and teenage children, a teenager can simply talk to one’s parent to ask for advices or just for a simple chat on how things are going even if it goes to the most private and personal aspect, for example sex and sexual issues. Talking about such topics should not be made hard especially when parents open up the communication lines with teenage offspring. If parents can talk to these teens, maybe the 2008 statistics where18% of who commits abortion is teenagers would have been lower (Jones, et al, 5).

Presently, efforts are being made and 82% of parents are already taking time talking to their children about sex and sexuality according to the Planned Parenthood website. This may be the factor which can decrease the number of teenage pregnancies over the years. Numbers will not go down instantly though there will be changes.Same goes for those teens with different forms of vices and abusive habits which can affect not just the physical aspect but also the mental and social aspects of life.

Parents should be the guide to the children especially those on the teenage years where a lot of changes do happen not just physically but almost the totality of a teenager’s personality. This is not to blame parents for the mistakes of the youth, yet this may awaken parents of what can be done for the improvement of the humanity. Parents should also set an example to these teens on how to properly lead their lives. Sometimes children see parents having vices. When they reach their teenage years and more independence is experienced and practiced, these teenagers may have the perception that these vices are allowed and can be done which should not be the case.

Something needs to be done to break the chain and improve the lives of those teenagers who will be future leaders. Things can still be changed and parents can still make it a point to talk to teenage kids every now and then. Teenagers have the tendencies though of being hard headed. They need to realize the importance of listening to what parents have to say. An estimated 3,000 teenagers start smoking every day in the United States alone. Since 2008, there has been a campaign for parents to communicate with teenage smoking children which aimed to lessen the number of teenage smokers.

According to Terry Martin of About.Com that parents have more influence to children than anyone else.Being a parent to a teenager is never easy. Similarly, teenagers also experience difficulty understanding the parents. Such is a relationship where the entities should make it a point to know where the other stands. Though parents should have the authoritative hand over children, such authority should be practiced with respect to the teenagers’ rights and letting them decide on what to do and just be a watchful guide whom one can run to when nothing seems to go the way it should.

Works cited:Jones, Rachel K., Lawrence B. Finer and Susheela Singh. Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients, 2008. New York:Guttmacher Institute, 2010.Martin, Terry. 26 January 2008. Smoking Cessation Guide. 08 October 2011 Planned Parenthood. 2011. 08 October 2011 < http://www.plannedparenthood.org/>