Lived Experiences of Parents with Child at Risk

Abstract

Parents play a crucial role in the full development of the child. Parents are the child's first role model that influences them in the basic values, like religious values, and issues related to their future, like educational choices that will tend to prevent them from engaging in illegal activities. This study was conducted to determine the lived experiences of parents with children at risk in Barangay Carangan, Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental. It is a phenomenological study where the researchers made interview guide questions to gather data on the parents' lived experiences. The study was conducted on randomly selected parents with at-risk children in Barangay Carangan, Ozamiz City. Moreover, seven parents with children at risk were purposely selected to be part of the research study participants. The participants were selected with the criteria where Parents of a Child at Risk/custody of the child in Barangay Carangan, Ozamiz City, have difficulties coping with their child at risk and are willing to participate in the study. Four themes were identified in the study: Emotionally Stressed, Parental Acceptance, Giving a Child at Risk Effective and Positive Discipline, and Proper Parenting Approach. The study's findings show that most parents with children at risk experienced emotional stress, parental acceptance, giving their child at risk effective and positive discipline, and proper parenting approach. However, some Children at Risk tend not to listen to their parent's advice and choose to be with their peers or groups prone to committing illegal acts. Through this, the parents will have ni choice but to accept their children's decisions. Even though their child committed illegal acts, they still gave effective and positive discipline with a proper parenting approach in handling their child at risk. Therefore, it was recommended that Parents with Child At Risk in Barangay Carangan, Ozamiz City, continue to give effective and positive discipline in handling with risky behavior of their children at risk to avoid them and prevent them from committing other illegal acts. Moreover, parents encouraged children to always follow and listen to their parent's advice to avoid and prevent them from committing or engaging in another illegal act because if the child at risk is disciplined and making their current situation as their teacher, it can reduce the burden of emotional stressed of the parents and that will create a healthy environment for them