As a parent of adult children, all of whom managed to dodge the many pitfalls of adolescence, I have never bought into the Judith Rich Harris thesis about parents not making any difference. Just because some parents do not choose to be involved does not mean that those who are involved do not have an impact. I have been concerned that young parents would take this to heart, and believe that their impact on their children’s outcomes is minimal. To the contrary, in our experience, parents who expected the village to raise their children were invariably disappointed with the outcome.
Now Andrew Lac and William Crano of the Claremont Graduate University have published results of a meta-analysis showing that parental monitoring is associated with rates of marijuana use by adolescents [1]. Over 35,000 total participants were assessed.
What does it mean to have parental monitoring? This was defined as parental knowledge of the child’s whereabouts, activities, and relations. That’s not exactly intrusive, “helicopter” parenting, and yet it made a big difference in the futures of children. It’s hard to imagine that this small amount of involvement is beyond the abilities of even the busiest, most stressed parent.
No doubt there are parents out there who believe using marijuana is a normal rite of passage for their children, and perhaps that was the case when our economy made it nearly impossible to fail. But in the present economy, with its unprecedented competition for a few remaining jobs (unemployment for 24-30 year olds has never been higher than now), young people need to understand that while they’re getting high, somebody else is studying, working, and becoming a better person. Parents owe their children the little effort it takes to help them prepare for the realities of the future.
1. Lac, A., & Crano, W. D. (2009). Monitoring matters: Meta-analytic review reveals the reliable linkage of parental monitoring with adolescent marijuana use. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4 (6), 578-586.
As a parent of adult children, all of whom managed to dodge the many pitfalls of adolescence, I have never bought into the Judith Rich Harris thesis about parents not making any difference. Just because some parents do not choose to be involved does not mean that those who are involved do not have an impact. I have been concerned that young parents would take this to heart, and believe that their impact on their children’s outcomes is minimal. To the contrary, in our experience, parents who expected the village to raise their children were invariably disappointed with the outcome.
Now Andrew Lac and William Crano of the Claremont Graduate University have published results of a meta-analysis showing that parental monitoring is associated with rates of marijuana use by adolescents [1]. Over 35,000 total participants were assessed.
What does it mean to have parental monitoring? This was defined as parental knowledge of the child’s whereabouts, activities, and relations. That’s not exactly intrusive, “helicopter” parenting, and yet it made a big difference in the futures of children. It’s hard to imagine that this small amount of involvement is beyond the abilities of even the busiest, most stressed parent.
No doubt there are parents out there who believe using marijuana is a normal rite of passage for their children, and perhaps that was the case when our economy made it nearly impossible to fail. But in the present economy, with its unprecedented competition for a few remaining jobs (unemployment for 24-30 year olds has never been higher than now), young people need to understand that while they’re getting high, somebody else is studying, working, and becoming a better person. Parents owe their children the little effort it takes to help them prepare for the realities of the future.
1. Lac, A., & Crano, W. D. (2009). Monitoring matters: Meta-analytic review reveals the reliable linkage of parental monitoring with adolescent marijuana use. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4 (6), 578-586.