Parents and pupils talk openly

Charles Morgan Secondary School pupils got the opportunity to voice their concerns and fears when the bumb’INGOMSO Behaviour Change and Communication team hosted a Parent-Child Dialogue at their school in Ginsberg on Friday October 19.

The Parent-Child Dialogue provided a great platform for both the pupils and parents to communicate openly with each other.

The bumb ’INGOMSO team assisted in fostering healthy family relationships by providing psycho-social support during the dialogue.

There were also social workers in attendance to identify problems and intervene when there was a need for mediation.

Questions and concerns were raised on an open platform, allowing each group to clarify some of the intergenerational misunderstandings that are a barrier for effective communication in homes and communities.

During the dialogue, some pupils said they wished their parents would understand that they got involved in romantic relationships as teenagers, and needed their parents to teach them about sex.

In response, the parents said they were not comfortable with the idea of their children being involved in romantic relationships, and encouraged them to focus more on their studies.

“The parents were particularly grateful for the opportunity and committed to take the conversations into their homes, and by doing so, be able to assist their children with establishing individual values, which will enable them to make healthy and positive decisions about their lives moving forward,“training coordinator Lindokuhle Msele said.

Msele said the two-way dialogue had helped empower parents and their children to communicate more effectively with one another.

Social worker and outreach facilitator Anezwa Gcilitshana said: “I feel the dialogue has effectively changed how parents think about their children, and children also have a better understanding of their parents.

“Good parenting practices that encourage better interaction and understanding and limits violence among them have been developed.

“Parents have also been enabled to foster closer relations with their daughters and good open communication skills were facilitated.”