Band 6+: In many countries, young people are granted certain privileges and responsibilities at the age of sixteen. Clearly parents have a responsibility to both care for and prepare their children as they approach this important milestone. To what degree shoul their parents intervene in the lives of their 14-15 years-old children?

Teenagers predominantly become more privileged and gain certain obligations at the age of 16 worldwide. While some parents continue to vigorously participate in their children’s lives until they come out of age, others leave them to themselves. It is argued which approach is more rational. However, in this essay, I will assess both the downsides and advantages of the intervention in teenagers’ lives.

To begin with, excessive control over children’s lives can lead to overprotection. While it might be seen as an innocuous feature, parental overprotectiveness might cause hindrances in the socialisation and adaptation of their child to life contingencies. For instance, if a parent applies redundant supervision on a juvenile’s life in an attempt to prevent any dangers, a teen may never be able to comprehend how to deal with predicaments independently. Psychologists suggest that we ordinarily learn how to do practical daily tasks through empirical learning. Another reason to mitigate control over 14 or 15 year old children is the separation process. This procedure is a substantial event in the life of every teenager. In the case when a child has not undergone this essential stage, infantile behaviour, indecisiveness and inability to solve problems might appear due to the omission of separation.

On the other hand, there are several evidential justifications which prove that parents shouldn’t abandon the upbringing of their children. Firstly, some rates show that teenage crime rates are inversely proportional to the the of sufficient parenting, not to mention the frequent lack of manners among badly upbrought children. Discourteous and vulgar conduct is not recognised by polite society, which decreases the chances of success for these children. Secondly, some information can only be provided by parents. For example, children are not usually taught in schools how to pay the bills and do chores, which can be only acquired while parents nurture their offspring.

To synthesise, as we can see both the lack of parental attention to their children and disproportionate control have significant disadvantages. Nevertheless, finding a balance in intervention can ascertain the affirmative future of a teenager.