Although parenting styles vary, every parent’s desire is to raise responsible and successful children. GARDY CHACHA looks at what it takes to achieve this
Parenting tips are a dime a dozen. Imagine visiting a nursing friend and the baby starts crying. You get up to pick the cooing little one and your friend says, “don’t pick her up, you’ll spoil her.” You think it’s appalling that she would leave the baby to cry, but it’s her understanding of good parenting.
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Francis and Francisca Oginga with their |
daughter Michelle.
Others will make a big deal out of seeing a parent spank their child in order to instill discipline.
Parenting is such an important task in life though many never realise the jest in it. Your child’s future and that of generations to come depend a lot on the skills you employ in parenting. As a parent or a guardian, you want your child to prosper, to be successful and to be recognised in their prime days.
Have you ever sat and thought how they would get there?
In a bid to raise a disciplined child, a parent might create a harsh system of controls and punishments. But what would be the effect of this on your child’s spirit, sense of self-worth, happiness or on his feelings towards others?
On the other hand, you can imagine a child whose every whim is indulged and every action, good or bad, is praised or allowed to pass uncorrected. Such a child might have a certain measure of happiness, but most people wouldn’t want to spend much time with them.
At the time we were growing up, we had our own perceptions of how our parents ought to have treated us. Today, roles have reversed and we can’t yet seem to grab the gist of what it means to be a parent. Books have been written for parents to read and TV programmes prepared to educate many on parenting, but all of it seems like theoretical hullabaloo. Sometimes it’s worthwhile getting the information from those who have had a successful shot at it.
Francis and Francisca Oginga have been married for more than 20 years.
Their first born daughter is about to graduate from Daystar University and their second born is some years away from graduating with a Bachelors in Medicine and Surgery. Their last two children are both in high school, well on their way to match the academic heights their older siblings have scaled.
