Parents are being urged to be more
involved in bringing up of their children and are also encouraged to listen,
talk and respond warmly to children when they ask questions.
 
This was a message to parents during a
parenting skill workshop held at the JC Kotze Hall in Sebokeng last Friday.
 
According to the Gauteng Department of
Social Development, Social Worker Supervisor, Patricia Malinga, children who
grow up in households with love and supportive parents have a much better chance
at becoming successful adults.
 
“But as all those who work with children
know, this isn't always the case. Many of them have to endure abuse, neglect,
and other types of bad parenting practices each day. And this leads to serious
emotional and behavioural problems that affect them throughout the rest of
their lives”, said Malinga.
 
Hence the department sees the need to
engage with parents and caregivers to highlight the positive impact of good
parenting skills to children. “As government, we are mandated through Chapter 8
of the Children’s Amendment Act of 2007 (Act 41 of 2007) to provide interventions
to support and develop positive parenting” she explains.
 
Malinga added that building a safer
society must include effective interventions that develop positive parenting skills.
We all have a responsibility to avoid bad parenting at all time because it
makes a child more prone to criminal behaviour. 
 
It is every parent’s dream to have their child grow up
into a responsible person. Even though every parent wishes the best for their
child, at times bad parenting gets in the way of achieving this. Bad parenting
has lots of negative effects in the life of the child. It is therefore important
for each and every parent to evaluate his or her parenting skills so as to know
the effects of such parenting on the child.
 
“While it is impossible to be an all-round perfect parent,
it is never wrong to try and be the best that you can be”, says Lifeline,
Social Worker, Olivia Sekiti.
 
Sekiti reiterated that parents are responsible for guiding
the child, moulding him or her into the person they ultimately become. Bad
parenting can spell destruction for the child.
 
She said the most common parenting mistakes made include
neglecting the child and not correcting them. “Parents become increasingly busy
with their jobs and don’t spend enough time with their children. They don’t
have time to talk to them, listen to them, know their problems and simply don’t
know their children enough, she added.
 
Several parents said living in high-violence areas and
where substance abuse is rife are some of the factors that makes parenting
difficult.