It is advocated by some individuals that the strong influence of parents is necessary on their children’s partner and friend choices, whereas others argue that younger individuals should be completely free in these matters. In my view, parental guidance is crucial because children are not experienced enough to make their choices by themselves.
In spite of this fact, there may be those who oppose the argument. From their perspective, people start to build self-esteem during the childhood. However, if parents restrict their children and do not respect children’s personal boundaries, including friend and partner preferences, the situation may hinder their character development, which will adversely affect them when they are adults. Therefore, young people should be perceived as equals to adults. To give an example, In Turkey, parents generally avoid interfering with their children’s life partner choices. Thus, it is believed that it contributes to their confidence by providing them with an environment where they live the life they desire.
However, I strongly disagree with the aforementioned statements. First and foremost, partners and friends have strong influence on one’s life, and if they have detrimental habits, such as gambling or substance abuse, younger individuals may acquire the same habits by being exposed to these people. Hence, parents must strictly control the child to protect them. For instance, in Germany, the government has implemented a regulation where citizens are obliged to track their children’s smartphones until they are twenty-one. Consequently, it has significantly decreased the rate of drug addiction in young adults and adolescents in the country.
In conclusion, while some people think that young people should be in control when it comes to friends and partners because of its benefits to personal development, a number of individuals support that they must be dependent on their parents because people who are under certain age are inexperienced in these fields, and it may have severe consequences on younger individuals’ lives, a statement with which I strongly agree.