PARENTING IN NIGERIA TODAY: THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Happy young mother having fun with her child in summer sunny day

There is a common saying that nothing in life is constant. In every point in our lives, things change; government, policies, technology and so much more changes with time. As these things changes, it also affects our relationship and behaviour as humans. Parents have had to adapt to these changes as the questions children ask today are way different from the regular questions parents got asked in the past.

In Nigeria today, there are new things that have become a trend which has affected the way parents relate with their children. There are some things today that have changed the way children behave which in turn has affected the response of parents towards their children. With every passing day, the world changes and so does the impact it has on children. With this regards, there are certain things that every parent has to understand in this modern era. Some of them are:

  1. Children are smarter than they ever were: With the advent of the internet and other technological advancement, children now have easy access to information. This means that they can easily get answers to puzzling questions without having to ask their parents. In some ways, this has displaced the intimate relationship between a child and parent through “pep talk”. As a parent, understanding this means that you should be able to accept that your child may not always come to you for every answer. However, you can position yourself as a “friend” that they can trust for personal conversations. This builds trust that they would rather reach out to you than going online to find an answer.
  2. Children want to be decision-makers: In the past, parents usually have the ideal future that they want for their children. It was very easy then to want your child to be a doctor or banker and they become that. Today, that is not the case. Children want to be in the driving seat of decisions that affect their lives. You as a parent need to understand this and be ready to support them. This you can achieve by allowing them at a tender age to make decisions in order to instil in them the character of making the right decisions.
  3. The internet is not the problem: Many parents have been led to believe that the internet is the problem. While the internet presents a lot of challenges in parenting, it is not the problem of parenting. In fact, the internet can help a lot. All you need to do is to educate your children on the kind of contents they consume surfing the internet. The internet can make them smarter and improve their mental capacity if you support them in the right way.
  4. Children live for the experience: Children of today are explorers. From the TV programs, video games and cartoons that they see, they want to live their life filled with a worthwhile experience. They do not want to learn from things said or the experience of others only; they want to feel things and have a wealth of personal experience. This means that you should be there to guide them in making the right decisions and supporting them when they have a bad experience.

In an ever-evolving world, you need to be willing to adapt to changes and ready to address changes as they apply to your child. Parenting surely isn’t easy in this modern era but it surely can be fun when you understand that things have changed and in turn, the need for you to adapt to these changes.

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