It’s good to talk
‘My father and I used to be very close. I did everything he asked of me and he also did what he had to do for me.
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But these days, he has changed drastically and as a result, I have also changed my behaviour towards him.’’ said Kwasi, 16.
Since my mother left home about 10 years ago, he has been the one who pays my school fees and does everything for me but all of a sudden, he has stopped paying my school fees.
‘’At one time, when I asked him for a sum of GH¢300 for my school fees and books, he told me he couldn’t give me that money because he wanted to use the money on him to buy wheel caps for his car. He bought the wheel caps but they were stolen the following day and he thought I stole them in retaliation’’, he said.
Kwasi said since that day, he realised that his father didn’t love him anymore so he also started being rude to him. Kwasi decided that if his father didn’t care enough to pay his school fees,then he was also not under any obligation to do what his father asked of him.
If you are facing the same problem with your parents as Kwasi, then it is probably because there is a communication gap between you and your parents.A communication gap means a break in the sharing of information. When this break continues for a long time without the parties involved finding a way to correct it, it might lead to more serious problems. If all of a sudden your parents change and are making life difficult for you and at the same time they are not willing to talk, you can take the initiative and talk to them.
Don‘t be rebellious or rude to them because if you do, it might make matters worse than they already are.
Most of the time when their behaviour changes towards you, it is likely you children have done something wrong or could also be that they are having problems at work or are facing financial difficulty but don’t want you to know.
Sometimes, they might not be aware that their behaviour is making you feel uncomfortable or unhappy but when you take the initiative to ask them, they will realise what they are doing and might change. There is also a chance that they might confide in you and tell you what is really happening.
If adolescents find it so difficult to talk to their parents on their own, they can tell other relatives or a friend of the parent to intervene on their behalf.
In the case of Kwasi, he should have taken the initiative to ask his father what the matter was since they were very close in the past instead of being rude to him. Being rude and rebellious will not solve the problem.
Parent-child communication is very important to make the home a happy place for children. It makes it easier for both parents and children because teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and other adolescents-related problems come about because of the lack of communication between most parents and their children.
