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Parents Meet The Teenagers ™/ Text / Roxanne Swan / Photography / Edward Kagatuzi & Daniel Grandison 13th August 2008 Most teenagers have at one point in their life felt misunderstood by adults. The Cut felt that it would be a good idea to hold a roundtable discussion between a group of parents and teenagers where they could exchange their views on the issues affecting young people today. The topics raised included alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy. We used questions and picture scenarios to produce a conversation and debate that was both lively and informative. Meet the Parents: Antoinette, Errol, Richard What is your opinion on teenage parents? Errol: I was one, it’s not easy. You were supported by your parents, now you are a parent and you have a sharp learning curve. Richard: I don’t think it is a good idea. I don’t think young people are mature enough to do it. Antoinette: I had my son at 16. I think what really needs to happen is that young people are aware about contraception. It is vital to have a support system and parental education in place. Errol: The school system would not venture into it. Do you feel that the community and the government are doing enough to protect young people and prevent them from breaking the law? Errol: We said there were going to be problems when the government started closing down clubs. Now they are realising their mistake and re-opening them but the damage has already been done. Richard: A lot of it is to do with the groups young people hang around in. Antoinette: The government’s role could be improved in terms of media content, not censorship but having a positive balance. The communities need more finances, then we could do more to create a kind of preadult world. Otherwise we are tempted to go straight to the adult world and then society is saying that we should be having sex and doing drugs. Scenario one: violence and abuse Antoinette: When a parent is using violence to control their child they have lost control. Richard: The problem with this country is that we used to control children by hitting them, but now we have not come up with an alternative. Errol: My uncle used to grab my head and squeeze it, is that violent? It was a means of punishment, if he had kept on I would call it violence. Scenario two: teenage drug abuse Errol: The way to stop drugs is to let kids understand what they do. Alcohol affects more people - more people die from alcohol - yet it is more readily available. Richard: I think that all drugs should be legalised and I think the government should control them, then they wouldn’t be stronger. It is a huge concern that people do not think they should intervene when people smoke weed. Richard: You must know they aren’t talking about you in the newspapers? Clothes are just packaging and how you dress is how people perceive you. Lots of kids want to wear those clothes to take on that image. Errol: The image of youth in media has made me more aware, but I don’t prejudge. Meet the Teenagers Bianca, Sophia and Hannah What is your opinion of teenage parents? Sophia: I have trouble getting my homework in on time, so the idea of having a baby and that responsibility blows my mind. We are losing our childhood a lot earlier than previous generations. Hannah: To say that teenage parents are immature is just another generalisation because a 30 year old parent can be just as irresponsible. There is segregation between older people and younger people so if your parent is closer to your age range the child may confide in their parent more. Bianca: My mum had her first kid at 18. I don’t see her as a friend. She is my mum at the end of the day and there should still be that respect even if she were 60. Do you feel that the community and the government are doing enough to protect young people and prevent them from breaking the law? Hannah: It is a small percentage of teenagers that do wrong but they blow it out of proportion, they are just distracting us from the real problems. Sophia: I am a real fan of Eminem and I have never gone out with an AK47 and shot out of a window. When they blame the media for violence, it’s stupid. Scenario one: violence and abuse Sophia: I actually agree with smacking, because before a child can speak they have to know that they cannot do that. You can’t communicate with a baby. Hannah: If a child learns that hitting is the way to get control then they are going to exact that on other people. Sophia: The idea of letting my mum and dad down hurts more than a slap. Bianca: My mum wouldn’t hit me now. I think it is to do with how mature you are. Scenario two: teenage drug abuse Bianca: I have seen what weed can do, but most teenagers think it is nothing. I think seeing it for myself changed me, and I have never smoked weed again. Sophia: Legalising all drugs is a good idea, because drugs being illegal makes them more interesting. If they were legal they wouldn’t be so glamorous. The joke is that teenagers are the ones getting the slack, when you have parents walking around taking drugs and acting like teenagers. Hannah: If we were to stand in a group wearing hoodies, we would be immediately put into that category. Sophia: It is the fear that is created by the media, not what people are seeing. We hear a lot that parents have forgotten what it was like to be teenagers, and maybe they have, but by bringing the two generations together, we realised that the generation gap is not that great. Many parents have been through the same life situations that teenagers are facing today, and perhaps it is just a lack of communication that is creating such segregation. Teenagers have a lot to say about their lives and society may be able to find a solution to some of the problems just		Issue Two Aug 2008 Reggie Yates Interview Road To 2012 : Olympics Special Road To Carnival Fashion Freedom At A Price Red Hot Interview Nash Money Sneakers Micachu Interview Natty Interview Life In The Marine Corps Parents Meet The Teenagers Young Londoners Meet The Cast Of Adulthood Cyko Logic Interview Fred Butler : Prop Stylist Interview Immortal Technique Review Made In Queens Victor Timofeev : Artist Interview Ricky Powell Interview Twizzle Interview Flywear Feature Top Girl Film Feature Queen Of Nations Not Without My Sister Sky's The Limit Career's Advice Issue One March 2008 Bashy Interview The Cool Kids Lady Lykes Grimes New School Rowdy Superstar Interview The Sound Of Reason Slash Interview Hoxton Vs Hampstead Fashion Young Designers Lucinda Chua Interview Will Kay Interview The Brothers Size Chris Lambert Duane Henry Drug Trafficking Feature Does My Bum Look Big in This Life After Prison Whats Upsetting Our Children MP Julia Goldsworthy Autechre Live In London Hardcore Is More Than Music Media Box Paddington Development Trust The Cut On Myspace