ABSTRACT
School, sexuality and eating habits are examples of additional life areas to which parents have to be attentive, initiate talks, keep an ear to the ground and take protective steps in case of need. Actually, vigilant care is broader than the sum of the fields in which it is exercised. Parents who manifest vigilant care are better able to detect new potential areas of risk and intervene effectively when warnings appear. Moreover, a child who is used to experiencing the parents' accompaniment will probably feel it whenever she is exposed to new dangers and temptations. The parents' function and influence may not be over when the child turns 18. Of course, the conditions in which they exercise their care changes as the child grows. However, even adult children may require firm measures of vigilant care in special situations — for instance, when they get into financial trouble and pressure their parents to cover their debts.
