Deep, strong, and well-established foundations ensure a building stands tall and remains firmly rooted in the face of any storm. A child’s upbringing and mentorship by parents or guardians and to a larger extent, society, play a crucial role in ensuring one gets a well-balanced perception of life.
Given the recent happenings of university students committing suicide, the upward margin of drug abuse in our institutions, and overall demotivated youths who are not willing to allow the maturation of time for them to reap the fruits of their labor, willing to jump over the cliff to get what they’re aiming at any cost and fulfill their fancies, we can see the undeniable loopholes in our parenting system. Young men and women are not strong-spirited anymore. Small provocation such as being corrected can warrant one to take their life or detach from other family members. This causes us to raise a couple of questions about the custodians who should be charting examples and giving blueprints of how to navigate through the various seasons of life. Are our parents especially those of the Gen-Z well equipped to raise a sober generation amid a society that is growing morally corrupt each day?
Raising children in recent times takes more than just availing necessities like food shelter and clothing. When one lacks proper home training, their exposure to this crude world will leave them scarred. Over the years traditional African parenting has gone through the influence of modernization but some of its rich parental values have been lost never to be seen again. Parents are almost not raising a finger to openly castigate the ills they see in their children. It’s either preceding generations are more rebellious or our parents have become lenient and indulgent with their children’s depravity instead of ironing issues out. This is not an advocacy for parents to bring up children with an iron fist by being domineering, rather it’s a clarion call for parents to understand the changing times and adapt methods of raising kids that will prepare them adequately for their future.
It is not a pleasant scenario where the generation being raised is half-baked or half burnt. When parents become too indulgent the children will become spoilt and expect a bed of roses which is a wrong misconception. Equally, strict parents who snap at their children at every slight half-burnt mistake are likely to give out the kind of children who have a half-burnt inferiority complex and have problems with their identities. If children are not nurtured right, the ripple effect will be witnessed by the many deficits that manifest in their lives. It’s a call to all our parents, guardians, and caretakers to do a parenting that produces a resilient and all-rounded generation.
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