On one hand, the behaviors of the parents will more or less affect the children, so it is crucial for parents to set a good example in a family. In the film ‘Muriel’s wedding’, Muriel’s dad never gave his children any encouragement. He ‘helped’ Muriel in wrong ways such as buying her a diploma and bribing the police. This set a wicked role model for Muriel that she later stole her dad’s money for vacation and involved in an ostensible marriage in order to show off and prove to her ‘friends’ that she’s not useless. She deceived others as well as herself by gaining a fake success at a high price; she lost her true friend, her mother and her integrity. It is her dad’s failure in education that causes Muriel’s false judgment of what’s right and wrong. Children always mimic their parents’ behavior from when they are babies. This is the instinctive way they learn things. According to Sigmund Freud’s theory, Id, Ego and Super-ego are the three parts of the psychic apparatus; they are the three theoretical constructs in terms of whose activity and interaction mental life is described. The super-ego maintains our sense of morality and proscription from the taboos. It is a symbolic internalization of the father figure and cultural regulations. If the parents don’t set a good example for children, they will have difficulties in building their Super-ego, which will eventually cause the imbalance of their minds, Teenagers can only step onto the right path in life with a positive attitude and explicit self-identity which are mainly influenced by their parents. Hence, a qualified parent must have right values and act appropriately in front of their children.
On the other hand, it is the parents’ responsibility to keep the family a harmonious place for teenagers to grow up properly. ‘The outcome of chaos can never be predicted, the only certainty it brings, is the devastation it leaves in its wake.’ In the lately broadcasted TV show, ‘Revenge’, Char Lotte, the younger daughter of the Grayson’s family, suffered from the truth that she was not her father’s biological daughter, her brother’s accusation of murder, the divorce of her parents, and finally the death of her mother plotted by her father to cover the crime he has conducted before. These heavy strikes directly caused the innocent teenage girl to question her self-identity and the meaning of her life, and eventually taking sleeping pills to commit suicide. In real life, the consequences may not be that dramatic but chaos in family will definitely escalate the conflict both in the teenager’s mind and between family members. The victims of a family crisis are always the vulnerable ones – the children. Keeping a wholesome family can have positive effects on teenagers by offering steady support to stabilize the changeable emotions of teenagers. But life is not always fortunate. If the family had to separate for some reason, the single parent must carry his or her responsibility as a guardian and pay more efforts to take care of the children rather than wasting time immerse in deep sorrow. The famous rapper Eminem is a great example as a single dad. He moved his studio into his house in Detroit in order to look after his daughter while working; he even makes her toast and muffin every morning as well as takes her to Saturday school every week. He loves his daughter Hayley so much that he even had a tattoo of her on his arm. He takes responsibility not only as a father but also as a mother by earning money to ensure his daughter a better life and paying love and concern to her. Thus, children in an incomplete family can also grow up healthily and happily if parents can give them complete love. Family crisis deprives children of their sense of security, their belief in love, and the peace in their minds. Especially for teenagers, they have better understanding about things than young children thus more sensitive to family problems. So these problems will undoubtedly intensify their internal conflict and as they are physically stronger, they may vent in a much more dangerous way. In order to ensure their children to have a smoother transition from teenagers to adults, parents should create familial harmony and offer them sufficient amount of love.
All in all, “home ought to be out clearinghouse, the place which we go forth lessoned and disciplined, and ready for life.” If parents can think more carefully try harder and be more patient to help their volatile teenagers, then the possibility of teenage problems will be much smaller and the teenagers will perform better in life in the future. I wholeheartedly believe that parents’ love for children is true and infinite. So, please be more considerate to your teenagers and help them through this risky while crucial period in their lives.