One of the most disturbing things parents experience when dealing with children is the way they can be influenced by friends. Parents tend to feel that their influence over their children diminishes as children go through their teenage years. Children also get carried away and begin to adopt weird behaviors and attitudes such as imitating Westerners in the way they dress or cut their hair.
However, there are some alarming attitudes that must be taken into serious account by parents. For instance, girls in their final high school year have a tendency to arrange graduation parties celebrating the end of school. Nothing wrong with the idea itself and I really do not mind my daughter or sister doing the same. But the way these parties are held has signaled to me more than once that there are worrying attitudes parents must be aware of in order to discipline their children.
Some of these parties are held in fancy halls or five-star hotels and cost more than a quarter of a million riyals for a single night in order to please girls who are still under the age of 18. The question arises as to where this huge amount goes and on what is it spent on.
Imagine spending SR250,000 on hiring a woman who sings to entertain young girls. Recently, women singers have been replaced with men who sing from behind a curtain. Then there are the fees paid in order to rent the hall, on food and on flower decorations.
Time was when the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice would interrupt and cancel such extravagant parties. Nowadays, there is no authority that can intervene to at least make such parties simple and ensure people abstain from wastefulness. These parties usually take place during the end of the year, a few months from the final year exams. Now if girls waste their time preparing and organizing then when would they find time to study? Keep in mind that the GPA they earn can actually affect their college admission.
It is very important to realize that girls have a huge impact on each other. Psychological factors and motives drive girls to imitate people in their surrounding environment starting with their family members, friends and then the entire world.
Families play a big role in strengthening the intellectual and cultural identity of their girls. Schools need to provide girls with tips and encourage them to shape their personalities without coming under the influence of others. I believe schools are no longer providing support and help to students in the way they used to.
End of year graduation parties is a problem that needs a rational and appropriate solution. I don’t, of course, agree with forcing the girls to cancel their parties, yet they should endeavor to have them in a way that suits their age and femininity.
Our girls seem to lack a sense of being able to appreciate their society and end up neglecting issues pertaining to the Kingdom. They seem to be living in their own private worlds with their peers who drive them toward superficial copying and imitation of others. We find them always in a rush to adapt new Western ideas and thoughts and we fail to get them to listen to us as parents or adults because of the impact of friends.
I hope my words resonate in your minds. Our younger generation is the future and it is imperative that we guide them toward making a better future for themselves.
