What is the problem?
First of all, parenting in general regardless of nuance or context is difficult. Parents themselves are dealing with their own childhood traumas and whatnot, and didn’t bother working on themselves in any way. Didn’t go to therapy, probably didn’t go for premarital counseling etc so they’re basically free-styling through life. But this is especially so for parents who came from a completely different background and time frame (perhaps that’s the reason people are told to have kids a bit early to avoid being too far removed from their kids)
Perhaps the biggest demographic change that we’ve seen as a country has to be between gen Z and gen X (throw in gen Y for good measure). Both gen X and Y lived at a certain time in Kenya’s history and certain mindsets were very pervasive at that time. Parents didn’t believe in diplomacy or understanding when dealing with children. Your were flogged like a chicken thief regardless of the nature of the “crime” you committed. Human rights violations were meted out indiscriminately by teachers and parents alike (sometimes they did tag-teams and collaborations if the misdeed was really that bad). This started with gen X and gen Y carried it forward (but they toned it down a bit).
Gen Z was born in a completely different time, There is a general shift in the country’s consciousness and attitude towards certain issues. However certain gen Y and X’ers are none the wiser and insist on applying authoritarianism which is why we see certain situations such as a certain video that went viral on social media
If gen X and Y want to continue living their lives in peace without antidepressants and blood pressure medication on standby They they need to change their worldview, and also start respecting basic human rights. They may need to do more but that’s a good starting point.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY:
LULU WAMBUA
#tribemrx
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