Dividends of poor parenting tradition -By Clement Pius

Many decades in time past, and even till date, culture has been a vital factor in an ideal African society. No doubt, the global phenomenon (culture), has continued to lose and add fresh components as time and value system are ever-changing.

It would be recall that decades before now, the rate at which African parents cultured their children is now gradually going into extinsion. At evenings, parents would sit and tell their children stories as a way of communicating moral values. This highly cherished practice has helped in reshaping the way children think while growing up.

As societies evolve overtime, it seems the tradition of parents spending quality time with their children had been lost to the wind. Apparently, We live in a time where parents wake up early and return to bed at night without quality conversation(s) with their children. Some even sleep before their children return home at night. But, what have been the lots of these children? One can safely ascertain that societies are now gradually reaping the negative dividends of parents paying little or no attention to their children.

Incessantly, Nigerian dailies have made big headlines on the ill-outcome of parents’ negligence towards their children. While it is true that some, if not many parents are shying away from their responsibility of taking care of their children, the duty has now shifted to peer-groups. These peer-groups that understand the love of money, even beyond the knowledge of their parents have continued to create negative scenes of atrocities in societies.

Children, whose focus, primarily should be on their education, skills-learning among other factors, have become a conduit to penetrate heinous crimes in societies. Little wonders, the mass media have without pause, continued to paint the youths as cultists, terrorists, kidnappers, cyber criminals, Boko-haramist and so on.

It was a maxim that contends that “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Today, youths and teenagers indulge in horrible acts all in the name of money-making. Barely a week, few teenagers were apprehended for beheading and roasting a young girl’s head for money ritual.what a desperate way to make money! This is quite appalling!

When interrogated, the quest were mostly to earn a luxury life. Some, who marveled at the lives of some eminent screen personalities are in a quick to become one. What a desperate way to greatness negating the fact that life itself is a process. I don’t say this to boast in the flesh, but greatness does not just happen; there are sacrifice(s) one needs to pay.

It is true that desperate time calls for desperate measures. It is time for parents to return to the drawing board; time for parents with ‘I don’t care attitude’ to consider children as ‘precious gifts’ from God that comes with responsiblities; time for parents to instill the dividends of those exotic moral values they have enjoyed from their fathers and forefathers to their children. And with renewed hope, we can still make our societies a better place to live in.

Pius is a serving corp member in Osun state.