Things to ponder about love, parenting in the modern age

Ruth Ssenyonyi was one of the speakers at one of the women’s gatherings held during the Women’s Day week. She made pointers on some things worth noting. Here are some of the highlights of her presentation:
• The modern woman is so busy, working so hard to be elevated at work and get money for their children but the children do not know who their parents are. How do you protect your children from evils such as witchcraft incidences that maids or even relatives present to your children?
• There is no bonding between parents and children. Children are taken and dropped by the school shuttle or even drivers and you never see your child. By the time you return from work, they are asleep. As such, there is no physical contact with the child. What consistency are you providing the child, since without consistency, there is no security.
• Women are no longer certain about how to bring up children and treat girls and boys alike. But these two are totally different and should be treated differently as you would find out from reading material on raising girls versus raising boys.
• Depression: There is a lot of depression nowadays among children. The world is going on so fast that the children do not know how to cope, which leads to depression and parents do not know how to deal with it.
• While divorce and single motherhood is largely becoming common place, many seem to have forgotten the effect these have on children; these are not good for children.
• Selfishness: Everyone now wants their way to be absolute and yet in a marriage, one is supposed to give up their way and pick up their partner’s way and your partner does the same. There is a lot of anger because partners are not working together and as such children are not happy either.
• Avoid taking children to school when they are two years because they are not ready for such an environment.
Stop thinking of you (no maid, a tight work schedule) and think of what is good for the child.

BEWARE OF TECHNOLOGY
We are picking up different cultures through technology which makes us disconnected and we no longer have time for the children; they are hyper connected and totally distracted.
How does one deal with motherhood and the digital world? You need to protect children from the digital world. Many children spend up to 18 hours a day on the internet and are sneaking phones into schools. However, the world out there is cruel and there are predators that are a threat to your children.
Think of the dangers your children are exposed to. How are you going to protect your children from the pornography that pops us everywhere? Teenagers are not ready to deal with the social pressures of social media. As a parent, find guidelines for the digital world and set boundaries / time limits for your children.

-Compiled by Pauline Bangirana