Parental Role in Juvenile Delinquency Research Paper

Parental Role in Juvenile Delinquency - Research Paper Example   Failure of parents to assert themselves not just as role models, but also as disciplinary figures within the family structure culminates in complete failure of a child (Tyler 785). Anna Tyler’s â€Å"Teenage Wasteland Short Story† is an excellent illustration of this scenario. In this book a parent, Daisy, fails to raise her son appropriately, instead opting to transfer this responsibility to a tutor, leading to his failure at school and eventual escape from home (Tyler 786). Tyler’s book confirms the imperative role that a parent should play, by motivating a child, executing appropriate disciplinary measures and establishing a positive relationship based on affection and trust, all in the effort of guaranteeing a smooth transition from childhood to adulthood. Based on research conducted by Fletcher, Steinberg, and Williams-Wheeler (769-772), children that have positive relations with their guardians, have a high likelihood of disclosing information concernin g their struggles with troubling issues. As a result, they would consult their parents for solutions, before the problem escalates. Additionally, such constructive parent and child relations most likely exist within families where parents depict warmth and offer support to the children. This is, however, not the case in Anne Tyler’s short story â€Å"Teenage Wasteland†. The teenage character, Donny, is completely unmotivated performing poorly in his academic work. When Daisy, Donny’s concerned mother, notices the poor grades she employs a private tutor named Cal, in order to help him improve his grades (787-789). For a responsible parent, the most logical step would have been to question Donny about his performance, in order to establish the cause of the problem and find out how she could help. Shifting parental responsibility to someone else is neither a reflection of affection nor support. Another negative relationship is that between Cal and Donny since he ac ts more like a friend than an adult figure. Further, Cal does not motivate Donny to perform better or to make responsible decisions. Because of the absence of a constructive relationship between Donny and his role models, coupled with the latter’s failure to adhere to proper success guidelines, the teen’s performance deteriorates further and his bad behavior worsens. Based on research conducted by Stattin and Kerr (1072-1079) parents’ self-confidence inspires children to have higher self-esteem, since they believe that if their parents can achieve something, then they are capable of doing the same. Additionally, when parents assert themselves as firm and capable of handling situations, this also encourages children to rely entirely on them. Clearly, this is not the case in â€Å"Teenage Wasteland†, since Daisy lacks confidence in her parenting capabilities.