In writing my first blog I feel the need to begin by acknowledging the joys of
children.
Children bring new light into this world. Their smiles, songs and laughter
lift us into the brightness. We honour them when we offer them our love,
compassion and tender guidance. If we will be still and listen to them, they
will show us and tell us what their soul is to bring to this earth. By
providing an environment that encourages self-expression, imaginative play, and
exploration of diverse subjects and experiences, they can freely and joyously continue
to hear the song of their soul clearly.
But some say parents exaggerate their happiness to
validate their choice to have children when confronted with the real economic
costs of having children. They ask: ‘Are the long nights and financial burdens
of parenting really worth the emotional benefits?’
Richard Eibach and Steven Mock of the University of Waterloo
wrote of their study in the March 2 issue of the journal Psychological Science,
"Many people believe that to be truly fulfilled in life, it is necessary
to experience the joys of parenthood. Children are considered an essential
source of happiness, satisfaction, and pride, however, the idea that parenthood
involves substantial emotional rewards appears to be something of a myth."
It is best for parents to take some time out, search their hearts, evaluate
their beliefs and ask themselves, are they genuinely experiencing true joy and
happiness in their children or has it become a myth, are they just putting up a
farce to validate having them…..
Please share your views!!!
Even the mere suggestion of deliberately having a childless marriage in Nigeria can lead to an untimely death! Unlike the more "civilised" world Africans (or maybe I should just limit my generalisation to Nigerians) are stuck in their traditional ways.
ReplyDelete"Have kids, plenty of kids, in fact the more the merrier" - that's what we've been told and the fact is more often than not, especially when we have the resources, that's what we would do. Thankfully our society is structured around the family and we get as much support raising our children as we have relatives.
Well it is a fact that some people do have kids just because it is expected of them either by their family, friends or the society as a whole but it is so damn wrong!! I don't have kids but i have a nephew whom when i see him my heart swells with joy...so i wonder how i would feel when i have mine. Children are a blessing, they don't always turn out right or d way people had hoped but the fact is they are still born out of your body. You do your best for them and leave the rest.
ReplyDeleteIt's not compulsory for everyone to have kids...people should learn to stand their ground on issues, if u know you don't see the need or cant love a child wholeheartedly then don't bring the child into the world... coz the love of a parent over a child CAN NEVER be compared to anything!
Everything in life to a large extent involves emotion, burden and stress in different proportions..one just needs to know which burdens they are willing to shoulder and face whatever challenges that come their way based on it!