Yesterday, The Sunday Times, a sister publication of this paper, run an insightful report under the headline “How Gikondo Transit Centre is transforming lives.” The story revealed a worrying trend in the drug abuse prevention efforts among the youth, who comprise the biggest number of people being treated at the rehabilitation centre. But what is even more puzzling is that many of these are not youth from broken homes or poverty stricken homesteads. According to testimonies in the story, the victims of drug abuse are youth from relatively well to do families. Perhaps this shows that the issue of drug abuse among the youth may not necessarily be about poverty and unemployment. It is about poor parenting! The issues raised in the story, bring into question the state of the family institution, which is the basic unit of society. The rise in drug abuse linked to well to do families is a reminder to parents that they have neglected a critical role which is crucial in the lives of children. Working hard to provide for your children is not enough to raise them into responsible adults. The role of good parenting cannot be delegated. Even with the busy work schedule, creating time for children is a necessity for every parent. Research has shown that children whose parents are more involved in their lives are unlikely to abuse drugs as teenagers. Parents should strive to find the best ways to raise their children without leaving them at the mercy of housemaids. The right parenting skills are important in preventing the initiation and progression of drug use among youth. It is time for every parent to recommit to do more as far as positive parenting is concerned.
