Patience Ozokwor Urges Parents To Let Children Face Life’s Struggles
Veteran Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor has warned parents against overindulging their children, saying kids need to experience challenges in order to grow.
Speaking in a recent interview, the actress explained that shielding children from all forms of hardship can make them entitled and give them the impression that life will always be easy.
“When you decide your children shouldn’t go through what you went through growing up, that’s the fastest way to ruin them,” she said. “I’m not saying you should make them suffer. But let them go through the process. Let them struggle a bit,” she opined.
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According to Ozokwor, children who never learn that life isn’t always smooth often develop a carefree mindset.
“If you don’t allow them to struggle, they won’t appreciate how hard you worked to get what you have,” she noted. “That’s why some wealthy people, at a certain point, give away most of their assets and leave just a little for their kids. If you don’t teach that lesson, your children will grow up thinking life should always be handed to them. They can break a cup and not think twice. But when they understand pain and effort, they become more responsible. They don’t need to experience every hardship, but too much pampering means they won’t amount to much.”
Using her own journey as an example, the Nollywood screen icon said she worked hard to get to where she is today and wants young people to learn from that.
“I want today’s children to take up the mantle,” she said. “I struggled to get here. It wasn’t easy. Some people are born lucky, others have to fight. For me, it was a fight. I went through thick and thin to get to this point.”
She therefore added that faith was key during her tough times, saying that, “Even in the middle of life’s problems, if you hold on to God, He won’t abandon you. He sees your struggle. When you earn things the hard way, you value and protect them. But when everything is handed to you on a platter of gold, you assume it’s always that easy to come by.”
BY ABDULBAQI JIBREEL AJAO
