“A child’s right to privacy should not be allowed to interfere with the duty of parenting,” says visiting pastor from the United States, Pastor Ralph Wheeler Jr.

“Whatever happens to the child you are going to blame the parent, then the parent has the right to be involved. A parent has the right to be nosey.

“I have the right to be a parent, not my child’s friend. Be nosey and investigate and get involved as a parent,” said pastor Wheeler.

Under the United Nation’s Declaration of the Rights of a Child, the opinion of a child, on the matters, which should reasonably concern them, cannot be ignored.

In an interview with iNews, Mr. Wheeler advised that by not closely monitoring your children’s cell phone and wireless activities you could be allowing unhealthy sex messages to come through.

“Texting is a serious problem; boys will offer to take girls photographs topless and boom! It’s out there.

“You erase your text messages but the other party can save theirs and use it against you.

“We have to be the masters of technology. Technology does not master us. You cannot recall whatever you post on Facebook, it is out there forever.”

Pastor Wheeler is the Director of World Missions, a Christian outreach organisation based in the United States.

World Missions is a Ministry of the Church of God (Holiness) Cayman Islands.

Commenting on the emergence and increase of juvenile delinquency on our island, Mr. Wheeler said that youth crime could be avoided with good parenting.

Mr. Wheeler was attending the induction service of female pastor, Mrs. Anna Gracia Smith-Joseph at Red Bay Church of God (Holiness) last weekend.

The pastor, who has four grown children, ages ranging from 15 to 32 years, says he has a child that went astray once, but has now returned to the fold.