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Ten for the parents
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Teenagers might project a defiant attitude which reflects in their body language and dressing style, but when it comes to choosing a career, the parents call the shots, finds out NEERAJA MURTHY
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Photo: R.V. Moorthy
Calling the shots The onus is on parents
Satyajit is young, restless and ready to take a ride to the other side. While his friends may be hankering after the much-sought after engineering courses, his heart was set on accountancy. However, thanks to his parents guidance, this teenager is no
w confined to the world of equations and digits and is pursuing M.P.C from Little Flower Junior College. Says his mother Sunita, who works as a teacher in Springdales High School at Masab Tank: “Teenagers are not mature enough to choose their own careers. A professional course will lay foundation for a bright future but one wrong step will ruin their lives. The onus is on parents to select what is best for them even if it means influencing their minds.”
As the debate swings between engineering, medicine or even computer courses, parents are increasingly seen imposing their desires and expectations on children. Anusha is quiet, soft-spoken and putting her mind into the different career opportunities listed out to her by her parents. “My father is a placement officer so I trust his suggestions. And, since my parents do not force their opinions on me, I take their viewpoint into account,” says this student of Little Flower Junior College.
That parental expectations have a negative effect on the young minds is known. But, psychologists say if parents change their mind-set and take care to be not too ambitious, it will have a positive effect. Explains Minhaj Nasirabadi, consultant psychiatrist, Apollo Hospitals, “In medical terminology, teenage is considered as ‘adolescence crisis’ young boys and girls become rebellious, defy convention and tend to imitate their role models. Adding to the turmoil is parental and peer pressure. Parents have better plans for their children but when their unrealistic expectations hit the roof, the result is drastic.” The doctor also links parents’ high hopes to the growing trend of people shifting careers mid-way. “Now-a-days, we see people abandoning their high profile careers they’ve studied for and start pursuing a drastically opposite one. When they were young, they might have followed their parents’ instructions but are unhappy about the decision. Now, they want to fulfil their dreams and hence shift gears,” he asserts.
A student of Sri Chaitanya College at Kukatpally, Sowmya is a wannabe engineer but if unsuccessful in cracking the EAMCET (April 27), AIEEE (May 8) or BITSAT (May 12), she might have a shot at management degree. Plagued by doubts and confused about different options, she says, the story is same with her classmates too. “My friend is a bright student and is sure to get a good rank in EAMCET but is too apprehensive and to be on the safer side, she is appearing for other exams too.” Sowmya finds support in the form of her mother, who browses the net regularly to help her daughter make an informed choice.
The intermediate exams are over and as the competitive exam frenzy mode takes over in a fortnight, it is time for the demanding parents to set their unrealistic goals aside and help their children breathe easy.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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