Prime
Do not shield your child from realities of life
Min Atek
What you need to know:
I had warned him before we had slept hours earlier that we were going to wake up early to hit the streets. I often say that greatness knows no stories nor excuses
Before my alarm aka opportunity clock went off, I opened my eyes. A part of me wished I did not have to be up so early. But wishes are not horses. I switched on the light and reluctantly got out of bed.
I woke up the young man who had only arrived home the previous evening. I had warned him before we had slept hours earlier that we were going to wake up early to hit the streets. I often say that greatness knows no stories nor excuses.
One of my friends wakes his three children up early to accompany him on different work expeditions across the country and overseas. He keeps saying that children need to appreciate what their father does and get to value hard work and commitment.
One of the most challenging thoughts about our world today, is that young people do not appreciate the fact that success requires showing up daily. It takes grit, commitment, determination, endurance, tenacity, sacrifice and the willingness to do things that are not necessarily pleasant or comfortable.
Many children want it easy. They are not aware that sausages are made from slaughtering an animal and that milk comes after milking the cow. None of those items grows in the fridge or on the plate.
Recently a friend’s daughter returned home after completing studies abroad. She said she needed time out to rest because she was exhausted. She also asked for upkeep for her phone bills, personal grooming and entertainment. The parents had to pay for that.
She also asked for a particular type of phone and needed transport to hang out with friends.
How does the parent balance this equation? At which point does the child get to understand that they too have a part to play in their life, expectations and most ridiculous of all, demands? Do our children understand taking personal responsibility?
And this is regardless of how old or young they may be. Do they understand that money does not grow at the automated teller machines and that bills never pay themselves? Do they understand your hustle and sacrifice to make their lives comfortable or they assume everything works itself?
It is not love when a parent shields their children of the realities of life; it is sabotage, short-sightedness and borders on murder. We must love our children hard enough to teach them how to swim on their own.
