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 allround 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 highviolence areas and

where substance abuse is rife are some of the factors that makes parenting

difficult.

Source: Gauteng Province