If there is a person who can write with
insight and authority about the relations between students and their parents,
it is one who has been a parent, a teacher and a school director for more than
20 years.
One such person is Ms Beth Kanyi, the
director of Gilgil Hills Schools who recently launched her book
on parenting, Smart Parent.
The book, launched at All Saints
Cathedral in Nairobi, contains tips and advice for parents on how to bring up
wholesome children and the qualities of a good parent. It also gives red alerts
on how not to go about parenting.
“Teachers, while striving to mould
holistic students tend to concentrate more on academics, which is their job,”
said Ms Kanyi at the launch. “House-helps, on the other hand, have a lot of
work to do and cannot be blamed for being impersonal,” she added.”
Due to the reality and demands of
today’s living, most parents work long hours, the book says.
At times, toddlers as young as two years
are sometimes entrusted to daycare homes.
When the family meets again in the
evening, the children are busy with their homework and the parents are mostly
worn out, creating a vacuum in communication.
Even during weekends, many parents
leave their children to their own devices, which in modern times include
television and social media.
These are unsuitable as tools for
bringing up children, and it is from them that they pick up their morals and
living habits, of which most are negative.
Instead, parents should engage their
children in outdoor activities which make it easier for children to learn and
communicate between themselves and adults.
If a family stays together (where
the children are not in boarding school) parents should always set aside some
time everyday to interact with them. They will come to understand one another
through talking and engaging in common activities such as doing homework.
For those in boarding school, parents
should make time during school holidays to be with their children.
Communication helps children to
understand what is expected of them and forms early childhood bonds, morals and
beliefs which children carry into adulthood, Ms Kanyi says.
Children look up to their parents
to learn the facts of life and, if this interaction is missing, the children
will not grow up to be fitting members of society.
The book is recommended for every parent
who is raising a family. It is available in major bookshops in Kenya.
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