WHEN children are unable to discuss their personal matters with their parents due to the latter’s strict behaviour, they face many problems like loneliness, harassment and bad company. Parents should build a strong bond with their children and encourage them to share their feelings without hesitance. They must realise that a major reason behind rising harassment cases is the lack of bonding and trust between parents and children.

The generation gap between parents and a child is an ill that affects both rural and urban areas alike. Parents should spend quality time with their children and appreciate them for being open.

Developing a strong relationship with one’s children boosts their mental health and helps them become better human beings, ultimately addressing a number of social maladies.

I suggest that parents should reduce the use of mobile phones and social media and give ample time and care to their children. While parents should not resort to micromanagement, they must keep themselves abreast of their children’s daily lives.

They should take out time to listen to their stories and problems, and remind them about how much they are loved. These may seem at first sight to be small gestures, but they go a long way in strengthening the parent-child relationship.

Muhammad Umer Siddique Rana
Toba Tek Singh

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2022