PARENTS AND TEENS: WELCOME TO MY WORLD

PROGRAMME 5: MRISI AND JACKIE

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

00:00 – 06:27 Monday

There's major conflict between Mrisi and Jackie over everything from not keeping his room tidy to spending too much time on the computer. Mrisi's into rapping with his hip-hop band and Jackie is a published poet who also does freelance work. Mrisi doesn't take kindly to Jackie's drip-drip technique of trying to get him to do what she wants and reckons he behaves better when his dad's around. Jackie wavers between being too tough and too much of a pushover, and she seldom feels that she's got it right.

06:28 – 08:54 Tuesday

Jackie's desperate to keep a sense of family alive, especially while the children's dad is away, but Mrisi is adamant that days out are not for him. For Jackie, getting away from home would give them a welcome opportunity to talk, but Mrisi can't see the point. He feels closer to his mates than to his family.

08:55 – 14:09 Wednesday

Jackie would like Mrisi to understand that it takes boring, hard work to keep the family afloat and achieve a creative end product. Mrisi puts loads of effort into composing his raps, but he's never let Jackie see him perform. Over dinner they're at loggerheads again, and Jackie feels he's comparing her unfairly to his dad. She's doing the best she can, but Mrisi misses his father's firmer hand.

14:10 – 15:39 Thursday

More misunderstandings as Mrisi has a boxing lesson. He loves the sport, but Jackie thinks it's brutal. They fall out because she's cooked a meal but he's already eaten.

15:40 – 18:06 Friday

An argument flares up when Jackie has to go out without knowing where Mrisi is spending the evening. She thinks he's sulky and sullen, while he just wishes she'd stop nagging.

18:07 – 20:35 Saturday

Mrisi's in a big panic because his backing disc's been wiped and the gig's only hours away. He pulls out all the stops to solve the problem, and his band's a roaring success.

20:35 – 25:00 Sunday

Mrisi and Jackie watch the tape. Jackie's horrified by the way she sounds and realises she needs to tone down her approach. They're both prepared to be flexible about the family day and end up agreeing that Mrisi will try to be more sensitive to Jackie's feelings, and she'll make an effort not to create a big issue out of trivialities.