A 14-year-old Singapore teen named Ella pleaded guilty to four charges including theft and cheating and was sent to the Singapore Girls' Home for 21 months by a Youth Court.
She was observed being associated with risky behaviours such as having negative peers, underage smoking, vaping, alcohol consumption, sexualised behaviour, coming home late, and staying away from home.
Some of the things Ella did from being recklessly were stealing cosmetics from a store, listing items on Carousell that she never delivered, and involving herself in a group attack.
After a few crimes were committed, Ella's parents reached out to the Singapore Children's Society on Feb 24, 2022, asking for help to access the pre-Family Guidance Order regime due to Ella's difficult behaviour.
The screening was conducted and found that Ella's parents are inconsistent and follow a permissive parenting style.
Though Ella's mother was participative in child protective service professionals' advice and tried to make routine and discipline, her father is not really in it with the idea.
Judge Tung added that Ella was also referred to the service due to harsh physical punishment by her father.
Ella's father was captured on home closed-circuit television pulling her hair, kicking her stomach, slapping her face, and cursing at her.
The Child Protective Service further added that Ella's parents can't fully exercise proper supervision and control over her.
Permissive parenting
Permissive parenting is a style where parents do not impose structure, consistency, and limitations. When it comes to disciplining the child, it is very seldom and with little interference from the parents.
As a result, the child may go carefree with their behaviours and attitudes toward others as they do not understand the responsibilities and consequences of bad behaviours.
Oftentimes, children under the permissive parenting style do not do well in school due to a lack of study habits and may associate themselves with other negative influences.
On the other hand, the permissive parenting style has its unique benefits as well, such as increasing a child’s self-esteem and allowing them to develop their own problem-solving skills.
However, it is strongly important to remember that children need structure and guidance in order to thrive in their environment.
