Parents heave sigh of relief as children, wards return to school

Whereas countless number of parents are now having their hearts in their mouths over how to raise school fees for the new school term which resumed a few days ago in the country, many have heaved sigh of relief that the children have now left home! The final term holiday which is usually the longest […]

Whereas countless number of parents are now having their hearts in their mouths over how to raise school fees for the new school term which resumed a few days ago in the country, many have heaved sigh of relief that the children have now left home!

The final term holiday which is usually the longest of the three terms usually brings joy and pressure on parents and guardians.

For parents that have children and wards whose ages are from 3 to 11 or so, they usually do not have it very funny to have these children altogether in one place at the same time.

The lucky or unlucky parents that have very active, playful or stubborn children holidaying with them for nearly two months have developed high blood pressure in some cases just before the kids returned to their different schools.

There are individuals or parents that do not like their peace to be disturbed; or their kitchens, bedrooms, or sitting rooms to be unkempt or invaded yet these are what some of the little holiday makers had turned their homes into.

Overwhelmed by their disturbance, noisemaking, fighting, aimless truancy, damages, scattering of boxes, breaking of tumblers and other breakable plates, defacing walls and staining furniture, many caregivers or parents continually disciplined these little ones by constantly canning or spanking them.  

Many scold, shout at them or squeeze their ears or noses because the children disturbed their peace, jumped all over the settees or did not sit where they were instructed to or did not keep calm.

Mother of three children, all in junior primary school, Mrs Agnes Emmanuel, 36 years old, has two other children who are older than hers living with her.  

They are her elder sister’s children here for the holiday. These five children raised the blood pressure of Agnes. 

She narrates that each day was hell. She would scream and scream, ordering this and that baby to leave one place or the other in the house. But the next few minutes they would resume where they left.

“My dear I am one of the happiest parents now that schools have resumed. At least, few hours in the morning after cleaning the house I would have some peace and quiet when they leave for school. The visiting ones have now returned. It was not easy. The holiday for them was heaven while for me it was ‘hell’. But altogether it was enjoyable anyway. I thank God that throughout the holidays none of them fell ill despite running all over the house,” she said.

Child expert, Blessed mother Glory Ntuk, manager of the Mother Elizabeth Redeemed Children Home at 34 Ambo Street Calabar, which houses 45 little children ages from 3 to 11, said giving care to little children demands a whole lot of patience, endurance and tolerance to their innocent behaviour.

In an interaction, she cautioned against beating little children, saying they derive joy in playing about not knowing that such offends the adult’s attitude to tidiness. 

According to her, the Bible warns against beating, enslaving or torturing little children, and warned parents and caregivers to desist from depriving the children of their freedom. She rather advised that guardians and parents should, with love, nurture the children in the correct manner.

“I am a mother. I have my own biological children. I know the stress of bringing up little children, especially the very active ones. It demands patience, tolerance and endurance. God does not like us to maltreat them, the same way He does not ill-treat us,” she said.

But a father, Nicholas Silas, 45, who is struggling to raise his two kids alone after his wife eloped with another man said, “I used to be very angry at children who would come into my apartment to scatter and soil my furniture and floor. Then I was a bachelor. You understand that as a bachelor, I would want my room to be decent. But these days I am forced to change my attitude to children. My two boys have weakened me.  I can no longer beat them. I allow them to go ahead and turn the whole house upside down! “

Now the burden has returned to teachers at school as they have special energies to tolerate the little children.

But it appears the children do not give their teachers all the troubles they do whilst with their parents. This is true. Most children do not feel free with their teachers because these instill deeper fear in them through corporal punishment.

If the parents think they can now heave sigh of relief just because their wards have now left home and returned to schools and so peace would now return, have they paid the new school fees, bought new uniforms, new text books and other extra or hidden charges?