Too far, too young (Part 3)

Parents are throwing away their power

`It's not the kids who are out of control," says Pat O`Connor, headmaster of St Enda's Community College in Limerick. "Commercial interests are out of control. The kids are great, but they have very easy access to alcohol through pubs, off-licences, late night discos which serve alcohol and allow 16-year-olds right of entry. And young people lack constructive alternatives to these forms of entertainment."

The role of parents has been downgraded, he says, because most of them have so little time to spend with their children. "Society is structured in such a way that parents are forced to work long hours to pay high mortgages and travel long distances to and from work.

And when the parents do get home, the children are watching TV, doing homework or talking to their friends on the phone." Meaningful personal interaction between children and parents is minimal, he says. Sometimes, the only communication is "Hurry up! You're late!"

O'Connor points to the fact that very few adolescents are aware of the work their parents do. "In the past they saw their fathers working on farms or in shops. Even professional people lived above the shop. Nowadays, the only contact many families have is when they're spending money together."

The approach to life in Ireland has become hedonistic, says Sean O Beachain, principal of Coolmine Community School in Dublin. "Young people are only doing what adults are showing them and providing for them. I have a very positive attitude towards young people, but I would be critical of their elders. Parents have allowed themselves to become dis-empowered."

There are concerns, too, that the much lauded relationships and sex education (RSE) programmes, designed to help teenagers make responsible decisions, will have any real effect on teenage lifestyles. "The real problem for many teenagers in terms of personal decision-making," O'Connor argues, "is that high risk decision-making in social situations is taken while they are under the influence of alcohol. The key issue is teaching young people about how alcohol influences decision-making and that they can't make personal decisions if they're drunk."