Development expert, Adeoye laments how Nigerian rich parents are raising weaklings as children.
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
A development expert and Chartered Accountant, Dr Gbenga Adeoye has lamented how many comfortable Nigerian parents are not doing enough to raise up responsible and resilient children that could rise to the demands of challenges of life and conquer them.
Dr Gbenga Adeoye, in a statement made available to journalists at Abeokuta over the weekend explained that it is disheartening that many rich Nigerian parents now produce weaklings and irresponsible children.
He explained how many great men in the country today pushed through poverty, hunger and other hardship of life to make it to the top yet their children who have everything going good for them have refused to use such privileged background to be far better, responsible and even greater than their parents.
Adeoye said he had however observed that the fault wasn’t much of that of the children but that of the parents who have continued to pamper unnecessarily their children saying that, “though nothing may be wrong in having a wealthy parent but if children of the rich are not properly trained; they will destroy the wealth after the exit of their parents from this planet”.
He said the effect of this kind of parenting do not only make the children to be lazy and weak in fighting for their share of greatness in life but also encourage them to embrace antisocial vices like cultism, drug abuse among others.
Adeoye has therefore urged parents to be more decisive, firm and frank in bringing up children that they could be proud of no matter their financial status
He said “Tell them how you made it.Let them know they need to defend wealth.Tell them your age when you built your first house or bought your first car or house .
“Tell the boys to be responsible and get married on time because if you did not get married early, you wouldn’t have gotten them when you did.Teach them about savings.Tell them about Land in certain places.Teach them about modesty.
“Teach them about how responsible people & Africans as well as leaders of tomorrow should dress. Tell them about the vanity in nakedness .Teach them to know how to be humble and respect people no matter their class in the society.Teach them how to learn to give to elders.Teach them to have decorum.Teach them to do better than you.
“Show them what to avoid and what to pursue.Tell them about the danger of crime.Tell them about your past mistakes and errors so that they will not fall into it.Do not allow them to dictate to you.We do not dictate to our parents.
“As long as you are alive, have a say in their life. As a married man our parent still talk to us.If your wife should report you to your father or mother; you know it is a big problem.Let your children reverence you.They cannot always have their ways.They cannot disobey you and still get money and food in your house. Let them follow you to the office and to places as much as possible.Tell them never to take drugs”.
Adeoye said “conclusively, take note that if you fail to train them, when you are gone; they will not be able to stand where you use to stand and they will not be relevant in the land because you did not show them how to get there and how to retain the height”.
