Parents with teenagers sometimes have a herculean task explaining to their wards the transitions they go through raising them.

In a case where parents refuse to respond to their teenager’s quest to understand something which seems unclear at home, the youngster may turn to find answers elsewhere, and that may not be so good.

A clinical psychologist has, therefore, charged parents to ensure that they keep their children safe from a possible misunderstanding between them, whether they are separated or together.

According to Nortey Dua, misperception at home in the presence of teenagers paint wrong pictures in their minds which turns to affect them.

“If there is confusion, then you are laying down a template for your children to think that daddy overwhelms mummy and therefore this,” he said on Joy FM, Saturday.

Sharing tips on how parents can handle the dynamics, on the program 'Home Affairs', Nortey Dua said the case gets worse when the teenager has to deal with parents who are separated. 

He noted that sometimes children may ask parents questions because they have heard something different from their friends.

“Mummy why don’t you and daddy come to PTA meeting together, my friend Michael’s mum and dad always come together,” he cited.

Mr Dua encouraged that parents should adopt a better communication skill to avoid creating confusion in the minds of the children as it can also affect their academics.

Couples, he added, must prevent a situation where the husband gets home only to find out the child is on a midterm, then he says “oh I didn’t know.”

“Because a child notes that his father or whoever it is, does not know when he or she is on midterms and it bothers them,” he apprised.

The Clinical Psychologist, however, has observed that when parents communicate well with their children, the children sometimes enforce that communiqué even in the absence of the parent.

“Sometimes you are not there then one would say, mummy says nobody should touch this thing.

“It means the rule had not only been downloaded but integrated and it’s been enforced in your absence because it makes sense to the child and was communicated well.”