Parents have been urged to apply a more intentional approach towards the upbringing of their children, amid the increasing advancement of social media and technology.
This was the charge at the Inaugural Parent-Teachers Conference organised by the Royal Children’s Department of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) Wealthy Place, with the theme, ‘Raising Godly Children in a Digital Age.’
The conference had key roundtable sessions where major challenges in raising morally grounded and spiritually sound children in an era predominantly characterised by several digital advancements and technological influences that could shape their values, beliefs and behaviours were discussed.
Speaking at the conference, educationist and children’s activist, Olubusola Kolade, reiterated that raising godly children in a digital age is the responsibility of every parent, noting that social media is a useful tool but could become dangerous to a child’s development when not properly managed.
“Social media is a good thing, but parents need to play a very active role in that aspect to guide their children so they can use it appropriately. Parents can set appropriate time limits; also make sure that you are helping your child by knowing what they are doing at all times,” Kolade said.
She added that there is an effective approach to helping young children overcome addictions of any sort, noting that the first step is seeking interventions from appropriate specialists.
“When a child is dealing with addiction, parents need to seek counselling from the right sources. We live in an environment where we don’t really have enough access when it comes to rehabilitation centres. However, we have a number of experts in therapeutics, who can help children deal with these challenges. First of all, you need to help your child as their parent. It might not mean taking away their devices at once; it is a gradual process, where you can win your child’s trust,” she said.
President of the Royal Children’s Department, TREM Wealthy Place, Mrs. Adenike Iwuajoku, believes the conference was a timely initiative, as the church seeks to empower parents to efficiently raise the next generation of leaders and change makers.
“It is less about what we put in place, but more about the impact we want it to have on our parents, and at the end of the day, impact our children. It was timely and born out of the fact that we needed to give parents a constant reminder of their responsibilities in the upbringing of their children. That was the essence,” Iwuajoku said.
A participant at the conference, Tolulope Fekoya, said she drew key lessons from the various discussions, urging parents to avoid trivialising the importance of giving their children balanced upbringing.
“Today’s conference has been an eye opener to parents to help correct some of the errors we have commonised in the upbringing of our children. What we need to do is to constantly monitor and be more intentional about their activities,” she noted.
