29 Nov 2022

Poor or lack of parental care could have long term effects on children.  

 Addressing  a workshop on mental health, Ms Kenaleone Ramoroka from the Department of Social Protection said absent  parents and those  failing  to respond to children’s needs could impact children in a various ways.

Parents, she said were role models and key influencers on their children’s  behavior. 

“The home environment is  most important in a child’s growth, which proves that family plays a role in one’s life” she said. 

She said parents who participate, monitor and support their children tend to avoid negative effects such as alcohol, drug abuse and depression among youth or children.  

Ms Ramoroka said some parents lacked parenting skills saying some neglected children by failing to provide the basic necesssities such as   food, clothing and shelter. 

Others she said failed to guide children by over protecting or spoiling them, by giving out money “Some parents think that giving a child money solves everything, money does not account for love, and it is through those monies that those children would have access to alcohol and drugs” she said. 

Regarding parents behaviour, Ms Ramoroka said parents should always  display acceptable behaviour and  condemned all manner of abuse either physical  or verbal. 

She said exposing children to violent behavior showed lack of insight into appropriate parenting skills, saying excessive criticism or demeaning children was a sign of child abuse. 

She said children raised by parents with poor parenting skills were likely to make wrong decisions in their lives 

She said it was important to learn good parenting skills, as such would help children to be happier and have a greater chance of success in life.

Meanwhile Ms Ramoroka said the department’s primary objective was to promote and protect of the rights of the child.

This, she said would also promote the physical, emotional intellectual and general wellbeing of children.

She said for children to reach their full potential it was important that their emotions be met especially mental welbeing.

She said children’s mental health should be nurtured adding that parents or caregivers should be resilient and always offer support.

“Mental health is an essential part of children’s overall health, it has a complex interactive relationship with their physical health and their ability to succeed in school, at work, and in society,” she said. ENDS