Parental Roles

So I've been thinking about the speaker last week and the issues of parental roles in the family here versus Vietnam. I had mixed feelings on the subject, especially as he spoke on parents in the past compared to now. It amazes me that they had such strong influence in their children's lives, even to the point of who they marry. But, it seems that those who did have great parental influence did better in school. Although this is true, it seems unfathomable that the parents should be that much involved in their child's life. It seems that this is the case currently though, as children prefer parent's input, but not control. I can completely agree with this. Parents have "been through it" once, and they do understand regardless what the child thinks. So to have the watchful eye at least is helpful, but not complete control. Children will be lost if they are controlled for the most influential parts of their lives. They need guidance, not control.