Why do Parents Drive their Teenage Children to School?

Why do Parents Drive their Teenage Children to School?

Research has long proven that the parenting styles adopted by parents often have a great impact on the development of the child, in the context of the topic, discussion on parenting styles and its profound effects on teenage children, especially on parents that drives their teenage children at school.

Basic parenting styles are authoritative, authoritarian and permissive styles. But later on, another parenting style was developed. It was named “uninvolved”. Basically, authoritarian parents tend to control their children. Also, they are very demanding and have high expectations for their children. But also, they tend to be less responsive to their children’s needs. They rely very heavily on punishment. Authoritative parents, on the other hand, though also very demanding, gain the favor of their children by being highly responsive as well. They have clear definitions on the limitations and freedom of their children. They are also very supportive and give out punishment but explain the reasons for the action. Permissive parents are the opposite of authoritarian parents. They require les of their children but still is very responsive to them, they are often very lenient and don’t, if possible give out punishments. The uninvolved parents are also opposite of authoritative parents. As the name suggests, they are really uninvolved with their children. Often, they are very apathetic to the happenings in their children’s lives. They put a very high risk on their children since they do not put a defined line on what they expect of their children.

In accordance to parenting styles, parents that that drives their teenage children at school are possibly authoritative, authoritarian and permissive – an involved parenting style.  Involved parenting styles actually shows care and love to their children.  Actually, parents actively choose to drive their children to school because they perceive the journey by car to offer a number of benefits above those associated with other options.  The primary benefits associated with traveling by car are safety and convenience. Beyond this there are a wide range of other supporting or related benefits, some arising from the use of the car itself and others which accrue more indirectly through avoiding a disadvantage associated with walking, cycling or bus travel.  In addition, parents drove their teenage children to school has also the following advantages:

• Emotional benefits, both to parent and child include :


• improved quality time together and better opportunities for bonding between parents and children;


• helping to create children who are more independent and confident as they get older; giving parents back their independence;


• health benefits to parent and child both in terms of getting physical exercise, confidence, social skills and being less stressed by other road users.


• improved levels of safety for children (both in terms of being more streetwise and traffic wise);


• reductions in pollution levels which will benefit children in the longer term.


• Parents identify a number of communication channels for messages aimed at a reduction in driving and overall these emphasize the importance of the school in adopting a co-ordinating role.  There is also a need for schools to positively endorse initiatives in order to bring about parental confidence.

 

Basically, there are limitations on the number of parents who will be persuaded to reduce use of the car for journeys to and from school. Implementation of these recommendations is not likely, on its own, to bring about a significant reduction in the numbers of drivers using the road for the school journey. However, if the right mixture of initiatives is introduced at each school, some parents may be persuaded to stop using their cars for some journeys entirely (perhaps in the afternoon), others may be persuaded to reduce the distances traveled by car or the frequency of driving.

It seems likely that there are certain parents on whom this may have no impact and this tends to be those who use their car to drive children to school as part of the routine start of their day and to travel on to other locations.  As such, those who then travel onto work or who have children to deliver to other schools, appear likely to continue to use their car.  As such, messages and initiatives will need to focus on those offering greatest opportunities for conversion.  Actually, a number of different groups of driving-parent and suggested a range of messages that might be used for the different groups.

Parents should very well know how to raise their children. Psychologists and researchers often recommend the use of authoritative parenting since it is well-rounded in all parenting aspects. Since authoritative parents have high expectations of their children, one can expect that a child will be pushed to do the best, and that authoritative parents also reciprocate love and warmth, the child can have feelings of security. Another is that a child can also have the freedom to express his own thoughts and beliefs.

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