הורות בבית ובחוץ: חוויית ההורות של הורים המתנדבים בסיירות הורים בישראל

Neighborhood parent patrols are present at the main youth gathering places in about 100 communities in Israel. The purpose of the patrols is to reduce violence and risk behaviors and to improve the sense of personal security of neighborhood residents. Most of the volunteers are themselves parents of teenagers. The present qualitative study examines the interaction between the experience of volunteering in the parent patrol and the parenting experience of the volunteers. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with six mothers and six fathers from six different parent patrols. The analysis of the interviews identified three parenting patterns at home: strict, active listening, and proactive. The parents implement three parenting patterns during the patrols: rescue-focused, active listening, and being present. Furthermore, it seems that there is some interplay between the two arenas, at home and on patrol. According to the parents’ reports, their relationship with their teenage children is affected to some extent by volunteering in the patrol. The findings shed light on the relationship between parents and teenagers against the background of the contribution to the community through volunteering in the parent patrol.