Veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor has urged parents to let their children experience some level of struggle, saying the process can help them develop resilience, responsibility and an appreciation for hard work.
Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G, said protecting children from every form of hardship could leave them ill-prepared for the realities of adulthood. She stressed that allowing children to struggle should not be confused with deliberately subjecting them to suffering.
“When you say, ‘I don’t want my children to suffer what I suffered when I was growing up,’ okay, that’s the best way to destroy your children,” she said.
“I’m not saying allow them to suffer. What I’m saying is allow them to struggle. Go through the process.”
Path To Success
The actress spoke about her own difficult path to success, recalling how she took on different forms of work while pursuing opportunities in the Nigerian film industry.
Ozokwor said she once made and sold food at movie locations and audition venues, using the income to support herself and pay for transportation.
“There was a time I was frying buns. When I even came into the industry, I would prepare chicken, dress it well. I would prepare buns for anyone you want to buy.”
She said the experience was part of the reality she faced while trying to establish herself, adding that she saved the money she made from selling the food to fund her movement between locations.
“But maybe the next day you see the children standing, waiting for me to see if there’s money coming up for handouts and for all that. Yes, that’s how I grew up,” she said.
Children Raising
Speaking in an interview with Femi Bassey TV on YouTube, shared on Wednesday, Ozokwor also reflected on raising her children while dealing with the challenges of caring for her husband, who lived with diabetes and hypertension for years.
According to the actress, she deliberately exposed her children to the effort required to build a stable life instead of allowing them to assume that the things they had were guaranteed.
She recalled that three of her sons took part in construction work while they were university students, describing such experiences as lessons in responsibility and the value of what the family had built.
“I don’t say that your children will go through all the pains you went through, but let them go through little pains. Then they will know that it is not easy to make,” she said.
Ozokwor also cautioned parents against giving their children inherited wealth without preparing them to manage and grow it.
“Don’t get this on the platter of gold. It’s not easy. Your father built three houses, four houses and you think you can balance on eating it,” she said.
She encouraged young people to develop the determination to work for themselves, recalling that she did not rely solely on her husband for financial support.
“I didn’t wait for my husband. I studied my husband. I knew the kind of person he was. I buttoned up and then tied my belt and I struggled,” she said.
Ozokwor said the lessons her children learned from witnessing the sacrifices involved in building the family’s life have helped them become independent.
“My children know the pains of making life better and that’s why they are all comfortable now, struggling on their own.”
Credit: tribuneonlineng.com
