It is noted that as junior high students reach Form II level, they are likely to have more emotional problems. To explore the relationship among the parents emotional status during the disciplining of their children, the method applied and the teenagers' responses, our "Family Networks"-Integrated Family Service Centre launched a survey by interviewing 2,956 parents of Form II students from 17 secondary schools this summer.

Eighty percent of the interviewee were mothers of the students; 45% held full-time jobs, 40% were housewives and 15% were unemployed. Most of the interviewee had either attained senior secondary school level (34.6%) or junior secondary school level (29.5%), while the remaining ones had received either primary school education or post-secondary education.

The survey revealed that when parents were under pressure, they would likely lose control of their own distressed emotions and would easily resort to hitting or nagging while disciplining their children. As a result, their children were inclined to respond with negative behaviors such as staying out late, hanging around with bad company, and showing their indifference in school. Since the mothers seemed to demonstrate a great deal of weariness, it also meant that they had taken on much stress disciplining their children; thus an apparent sign to summon support and assistance from their spouses.

Although the survey revealed that 80% of the interviewed parents felt positive and confident in communicating, sharing and expressing their concerns with their children. Nonetheless, there was 70% of the parents continued to worry about their children; 40% of them expressed their incompetence as parents, discouraged and perceived their parenting skills as total failure.

It has also been noted that approximately 10% of the parents in the survey would frequently or periodically resort to corporal punishment as a mean discipline. Parents who were unemployed were found to have a higher percentage (12.8%) of hitting their children than those who were working and were housewives (7.5%).

The coordinator of our "Family Networks"-Integrated Family Service Centre, Mrs. Cammy Wong, reminded parents to be aware of the emotional upheaval that might come along in disciplining children. She suggested that parents should practice the '4-more-and-1-never' principle: more joyous, to understand one's own weariness while learn to remain calm when facing and handling stress ; more communication, when discipline is necessary, try talking and discussing attempting to gain an understand from each other; more interaction, spend time with your children to establish a strong mutual understanding; more support given to each other as a couple by sharing the role and responsibility as parents; never use corporal punishment as the sole means of disciplining your children.