Introduction
The media, parents, and friends have a big influence on teenagers’ lives. Teenage romance has been associated with negative outcomes such as dropping out among teenagers, teenage pregnancy, poor grades, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). At puberty, teenagers begin to show interest in dating. However, their casual attitude towards relationships and romance makes them unable to cope with challenges related to romantic relationships. These challenges affect their academic performance and self-esteem.
Moreover, teenage mothers often give up their children for adoption while others procure abortions, as they are not prepared for parenthood. This paper argues that teenage pregnancy, which is normally associated with adolescent love, can be prevented through parental involvement in their children’s academic and social lives.
Parents can monitor their child’s academic progress, engage them in conversations about romance and relationships, and give them career advice and guidance. This will not only prevent teenagers from engaging in teenage sex, but will also enhance their academic attainment. Moreover, parental involvement can alleviate the problems associated with romantic relationships in the adolescent stage.
The Importance of Parental Involvement
Parental involvement in their children’s academic and social lives helps parents to understand teenage problems and give psychosocial support. Teenage sex and related problems (teen pregnancy and abortion) arise when there is little or no parental involvement. In recent times, the number of abandoned babies has grown significantly.
Unaware of the family planning methods, young girls involved in romantic relationships fall pregnant and since they are unprepared for parental responsibilities, they abandon their babies after birth or give them up for adoption. Some opt for abortions to terminate the pregnancy. Therefore, the lack of parental involvement makes teenagers to develop a wrong attitude towards relationships and sex. They engage in sexual intercourse to satisfy their curiosity and desires, but fail to reflect on its repercussions.
Thus, to change their attitude, parental involvement is important. Parents can openly discuss with their daughters and sons the dangers of teenage sex, including teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This can help foster positive parent-child relationships, which allow children to share their concerns and worries regarding romantic relationships with their parents. In addition, substance abuse among teenagers can be prevented through intimate parent-child relationships.
Parental involvement has been shown to improve the teenagers’ academic performance. It entails monitoring or supervising the child’s academic and social development or directly participating in a child’s academic affairs. For instance, parental involvement may involve helping a child with homework, giving career advice, or attending school games. Parents can also educate and advice their children about the importance of education, which may motivate teenagers to pursue education and avoid romantic relationships.
Teenagers often argue that romantic relationships motivate them to work hard and obtain higher grades because they want to impress their young lovers. Others claim that their lovers support and motivate them to do well in school. However, such claims often come from teenagers whose parents are less involved in their academic activities. The adolescent stage is a critical stage in a person’s life.
It is characterized by intense feelings and emotions. Teenagers perceive their parents as either ‘cool’ (loving) or insensitive to their feelings. Frequent communication can help parents to build trust with their children. Thus, communication can be used as a tool for assessing a teenager’s sexual behavior, academic performance, self-esteem, and substance abuse behavior.
Some people hold the view that teenage love is similar to the other forms of romantic love. They argue that it is human or natural to fall in love and thus, students should not be condemned for engaging in romantic relationships. Moreover, learning to love is a process that defines a person’s future interpersonal relationships.
Teenagers believe that dating experiences prepare them for adulthood relationship challenges. However, they fail to consider the negative outcomes of teenage relationships, such as teenage pregnancies and STIs, which often cause romantic breakups. Since teenagers are not prepared to handle relationship challenges, manageable conflicts often result in romantic breakups. Thus, the parents’ advice about dating can help teenagers to understand the challenges of relationships and postpone dating until they are ready for it.
Prohibiting teenage love cannot solve the problems related to teen romance or deter them from engaging in sex. Thus, parents can promote positive behaviors in their children through sex education and counseling. Moreover, parents can serve as role models for their children by motivating them to do well in school and offering them advice on how to handle teen problems.
Conclusion
Prohibiting teenage relationship cannot solve the problems associated with adolescent love. Instead, parental involvement in their children’s academic and social lives can help alleviate problems such as teenage pregnancy, STIs, abortion, and substance abuse.
Educating students about sex, relationships, and reproductive health will enable them to understand the problems of adolescent romance and postpone dating until they are ready for it. Parental support can also motivate students to pursue their academic dreams and career interests.