Paper or Screen?

I have recently been asked to write about Checking up and involving themselves with
their teenage children’s social activities. I think that this is a complicated issue that
doesn’t have any simple answers.

Personally, I am of the opinion that a parent should try to keep out of their teenage
children’s social activities, while encouraging and helping them out should their child
ask for assistance or they see that they are having difficulty initiating anything with their
friends, and occasionally ask them about it.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the best course of action for every parent. Some children won't
seek out their parent’s advice, even if it is needed, nore are some parents capable of
giving good advice. Some children will hang out with bad people and lie when asked,
and not all parents are good judges of character. Some children could become
completely estranged from their parents should they stay apart, and some children
could come to resent their parents for hovering over them and monitoring all their social
activities.

In summary, I think that this issue should be dictated by a case by case basis, and that
there are lots of different options.