Friday 6 November 2015

Poor Children Love Their Parents.

Do poor children generally love their parents more than the spoilt brats? It depends on the parents is not the answer. No matter how strict most parents are, rich kids have this notion of entitlement unavailable to poor kids. They develop some resentment if they feel their parents are “stingy” with imagined wealth. It's like the university graduate that complained bitterly that his father gave him a Volkswagen after graduation while his friends got Peugeot or Mercedes.
We all love our children and expect them to love us forever. As we get older and they become adults, their responsibilities and focus shift to their own families. In order to attract them back, especially mothers, “bribe” them with gifts within their means. It could be with their favorite dish as a kid or a little money from her pension if paid. When you see old people playing lottery with a little they have, they want to share the winning with their children to gain affection back.
Unfortunately, the way parents make their money, in most cases determine how their children love them. Children, like adults, are usually proud of the parents that struggle hard to put food on the table and strive to meet their obligations. However, children cannot be proud of efulefu parents, are actually ashamed of those communities stigmatized as: onye-oshi, barawo or ole!
Children are usually adaptable to their environment. There are families living on environmental dumps on the lagoon and on the streets. Yet, in these desperate situation some families are better placed than the others. One may be able to get better shelter made of aluminum, wood or readymade cave. Yet the bond between children and parents remain in those dire situations. Some of the parents have given their children to others to look after because they are too poor.
Just as a reminder, African children are more than investment. When Yoruba say – a jeun omo o – it is more than expected returns on the care we rendered them. Unfortunately, this is not the generation we can claim that much from. Even rich countries and parents fail to see rosy future for their children unless the top 5% spreads economy gains around. Some will argue it is the reason politicians think they can loot their way into the future so their grandkids will not suffer.
Mind you, riches even the one obtained the old fashioned way, can become a game of numbers. When we have enough to take care of our needs and wants many push for more than the other guys. A bigger house, better car or many more. If an Edge Fund manager, you want to create more profit than the other managers. At some point, some of us realize that more money does not give us happier children or families. It may even deny us of quality time with them.

The relationship between a child and the mother is sacred and most fathers realize that. It takes an overbearing father to assume otherwise unless there is a contingent factor that renders the mother unfit. As in a true story of a toddler and his father struggling to survive. The father was homeless and one could not imagine a poorer mother. Children, no matter how poor, curious if mother or father in jailed.

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