Yousuf Raza – What can parents do to ensure their childs mental wellbeing

			What can parents
		

			do if such things are happening?
		

			The most important thing for parents is communication
		

			with the children.
		

			How do you maintain communication?
		

			So there is a term called emotional literacy.
		

			And emotional literacy means that you are able
		

			to not only express yourself freely, talk about
		

			your feelings and emotions, but also be aware
		

			of the other's feelings and emotions.
		

			So it is very important for parents to
		

			work on that communication channel, good communication with
		

			the children, invest time in it.
		

			And if you are able to have good
		

			communication, that will lead to a good healthy
		

			relationship, a warm relationship, a constructive relationship.
		

			So that when the child gets into problem
		

			and all children and adolescents as they grow
		

			up run into problems.
		

			Well, it's, you know, part of growing up.
		

			You will experiment certain things that you shouldn't
		

			do.
		

			You will get involved in certain activities that
		

			you shouldn't do.
		

			But that's part of growing up.
		

			But if you have a good relationship with
		

			your children and they run into problems, they
		

			will come to you and discuss that.
		

			But if you have a weak relationship, it's
		

			punitive, it's offhand, it's temperamental, it's one based
		

			on power dynamics.
		

			So when the child has a problem, whether
		

			it's from school or with friends, whatever it
		

			is, it won't come to you.
		

			It will get beaten up, scolded, this will
		

			happen, that will happen.
		

			So parents must try and develop as good
		

			a relationship as they can with the children.
		

			And the basis of a good relationship is
		

			always communication.
		

			How can you communicate?
		

			Communication, as you know, is a two-way
		

			street.
		

			So both parties have to know that, children
		

			as well as adults.
		

			This can obviously be supplemented by what are
		

			good child rearing practices, what is respect of
		

			the elders, both in the school and as
		

			well as home.
		

			What does our religion say?
		

			All these things become supplementary.
		

			But the basic thing is that parents are
		

			older, so they have more responsibility.
		

			It's how you can develop a good relationship,
		

			a good healthy relationship, and the basis of
		

			that is communication.
		

			It's very important to emphasize this.