Teens depend on parents for decision-making: Study

A study by a group of students from Mount Carmel College, focusing on compatibility between children aged 16 years and above and their parents, is sure to make parents smile.

The survey revealed that among 203 children who were interviewed, 51 per cent of them said their parents largely influenced their decision making.

Eight students of Department of Statistics interviewed 175 parents and 203 children in the City to understand the compatibility between the two groups. Issues ranging from growing up to being independent, from spending quality family time to dating, from communication level to generation gap were covered.

“The results from our survey show that 42 per cent of the parents thought their children were influenced by their peers only sometimes, while 39 per cent of the parents felt that they were rarely pressured by the children’s demand financially,” Sulekha, one of the students in the group said.

Interestingly, 76 per cent of the parents admitted to giving complete liberty to their kids, while still knowing when to hold them back. Fifty eight per cent of the parents thought that they were solely responsible for how their children turned out. Eighty five per cent of the fathers and 88 per cent of the mothers claimed to follow a flexible parenting style.

Among the children, boys (55 per cent) said they were unwilling to talk to their parents about relationships and puberty, whereas 67 per cent of the girls preferred to talk.

Strangely, 76 per cent of the parents said they wanted to protect their children and yet they wanted them to pursue an independent life.

The study also reinforced one of the banes of a child’s life, that parents do compare children with their peers, siblings and others on various issues, pressuring the children often.