The Need for Parental Control
DEAR Editor, allow me space to air some views on what I see as the primary corruption eating away at the fabric of our society.
When you travel throughout Namibia you see people, especially children, youth and young adults, roaming the streets in our townships – completely uncontrolled. In suburbs you find quiet street with a bare minimum movement of people. The lesson is that parents, with bold emphasis, must exert control over their children at their premises. Our children roam around without any control in the streets while those in wealthy suburbs are controlled and focused on school work. Parents, please!
Driving in the Mariental township of Aimablaagte at night, you will find school-going children street-dancing to the midnight hour in front of shebeens. And I believe many of these shebeens are unlicensed. This brings me to the question whether parents have lost control over their own children at home?
During my childhood we used to have afternoon and evening studies at our schools. These were supervised by our teachers voluntarily on a rotational basis. Remedial education took place during these two hour sessions. Parents coming home exhausted from hard labour were not tasked to do homework alien to them with these children. Nowadays, the parents do not realise that roles have been switched and they are neglecting their children. Parents must take special interest in the education of their children to drive them to success. Unfortunately many are called to teaching but only a few are chosen! Thus, the parents must ensure that homework is done.
The community, traditional and church leaders show no commitment to the constituencies we lead. In the golden ‘olden’ days, these leaders would use every and any platform to encourage communities how to advance the cause of freedom, independence and liberation.
While we were engaged as learners in Nanso and the banned Swapo Youth League, we were youth activists in the shadow of leaders committed to noble national goals. These have eroded and our leaders are now inward looking for personal and family interests. Today’s child is no longer safe in the African extended family net, and nothing else has been built for collectiveness. In this, parents must understand that you are the sole guardian and custodian of your child’s future because we the leaders are failing our society.
Too much silent accommodation of evil western values has eroded our African values and norms. Children are exposed to a lot of negativity and confusion under the disguise of humanism and liberalism, and this ought not to be. We buy and provide DSTV decoders for entertainment without proper age settings and our children see what we should not allow them in the first place.
We don’t take interest in what they read and really don’t know what is happening in the lives of our children.
A child raised with a strong foundation at home won’t stray when away from home.
Why do parents have to live together without being married? Why do parents allow unmarried children to co-habitate in parent’s houses?
Why is the bar not raised with every new generation?
I can cite many examples but I am writing mainly to say that parents are primarily responsible for the erosion of values and norms in the upbringing of our children.
Reverend Willem
Simon Hanse
Mariental