PARENTS ACCUSED OF OPTING-OUT

Taupo Times, Volume 23, Issue 49, 20 June 1974, Page 1

PARENTS ACCUSED OF OPTING-OUT

By

PAT LIDDELL

What is really wrong with Taupo's problem teenagers? So much has been said and written in the past week about the growing truancy rate and related offences among the young that the solutions are being lost in endless streams of rhetoric. It has been attributed to a "sign of the times" — perhaps the biggest cop-out of all.

Social workers, teachers and the police all agree that parents are shirking their responsibilities as far as their children are concerned — arid this is what . is wrong with Taupo teenx agers. Parents will have to be educated before the prob- -■ " lem will be anywhere near solved. Contrary to popular opinion, teenagers who are fclaying truant and getting ^livolved in crime come from all social backgrounds and not just the lower income groups. It segms parents think that if they fulfil their children's material needs all will be well — but this

is not so. Too often parents are not concerned where their children go or what company they keep. Sergeant R. Jones, Taupo Youth Aid Officer, said most parents were not aware their children were in trouble until they were told — a sad indictment against Taupo's adults. Through primary school most parents are eager to support their children's activities. When secondary school level is reached, adults seem all too keen to escape their responsibility and, as a justification, claim they are giving their children independence.

While it is important, too, that adolescents should not be dependent on their parents for everything, the children who are getting into trouble with the school authorities and the police are the ones with too much idle time, and have parents who are never around. And what of the teenagers? Because they feel ignored, they are caring less about themselves or their future. They are bored at school and out of school because they have lost contact at home and have lost interest in the variety of activities available to them in the town. At the moment, the problem only involves a minority of teenagers and parents — but it is a growing minority. "We are virtually becoming a social agency," said the acting ptincipal of Tauponui-a-Tia College, Mr N. A. Pointon. The school is almost being forced into a situation where it has to solve problems which parents are refusing to face. "Most of my time is taken up dealing with the five per cent of students who constantly transgress against the rules which are basically simple," said Mr Pointon. "The other 95 per cent who are reasonable, lawabiding citizens get little of my interest because I don't get the time to see them working in classrooms, and I should be able to do this were it not for dealing with

the trouble- makers." But the teenagers complain there is nothing for them to do and that the school doesn't really care about them. Mr Pointon believes they don't know what they want. Inter-house sports competitions and lunch-time dances were organised at the college in a bid to stimulate interest. Both ventures failed miserably through lack of support. "The children we were trying to reach wanted to

Parents accused of opting-out

go into the trees and smoke or go into town rather than take part," he said. But the college is beginning to toughen up on trouble-makers. Mr Pointon maintains ' that staff members had bent as far as they were going to and now it was time to take stock of what was going on. Government social workers believe the main problem is the lack of low income housing in Taupo. Children are losing their sense of identity because they were being moved so often. Both parents were often required to work to alford high rents and this left children to their own devices. In the case of Maori children, social workers say the students feel unwanted at the college because teachers do not understand enough about their culture. As a result, they did not feel any strong sense of identity with the college and this added to their problems.

"The Youth Aid Committee was set up as a crime prevention organisation but now it only deals with children after an offence has been committed," said a social worker. Although pressures from the community are far greater than they have ever, been on teenagers to be virtually adults before their time, the fact remains that some will not be happy with any facilities or help which is offered. If parents are to be educated in their responsibilities so should the children. Perhaps the last word should go to L.D. Harris, Chief of Police, Manasas, Virginia who says: "Always we hear" the plaintive cry of the teenager: 'What can we do? Where can we go?' " "The answer is go home! "Paint the woodwork, rake the leaves, mow the lawn, wash the car, learn to cook, scrub some floors, build a boat, get a job. "Help the minister, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, visit the sick, assist the poor, study your lessons, and when you are through and not tired, read a book. "Your parents do not

owe you entertainment. Your city or town does not owe you recreation facilities. The world does not owe you a living. You owe the world something. "You owe it your time and energy and your talents so that no one will be at war or in poverty, or sick or lonely again. "In plain simple words: 'Grow up! Quit being a cry-baby! Get out of your dream world — start acting like a man.' " Maybe it isn't this simple for Taupo youth.