Positive Parenting

By Dickson Tumuramye It is well known that some people don’t prepare enough for retirement. They work so hard and give it all to their employers and businesses. Some people never even have time to go on leave or days - off. Even when they are given their 30 days’ leave, they prefer to remain in the office working. Some people work from Monday to Sunday throughout the year, with no days to rest. There is little time given to their families. They claim to be investing their children in material things, but hardly do they think of investing in their children. Parenting is a holistic process that needs your total availability in all aspects of life. The children you are claiming to be investing for today without being in their lives will grow up and have no time for you because there was no relationship with them. They only know you as their daddy / mummy who was too busy working for them. They may always remember to send you money in your old days, but you will never sit together around ...

By Dickson Tumuramye Our children are going back to school amidst the economic crisis in Uganda. The prices of some commodities are so high. What you could have projected as children are going back to school next week may have been grossly affected by changing prices now and then. We have also just finished the Easter festive celebrations. You may not be in a position to provide all the necessities as has been the case before. This somehow is causing some sleepless nights. Maybe you don't even have enough school fees to pay at school on the reporting day. This is not time to be under too much pressure. The situation you are in now may happen tomorrow yet life has to go on, children must report back to school. School fees and scholastic needs can never be an emergency because we always know the schedule of when they go back to school in a year. But planning and fulfilling what is expected may never be easy. So how do you go about it? Sit with your children If you feel you are not in...

By Dickson Tumuramye During the two years of COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown in Uganda, the rate of teenage pregnancies was alarmingly high. These teenage girls were staying home with their parents, siblings, and relatives where one would expect them to be safe but this was not the case.  I recently met two mothers narrating a touching story of a 12-year-old daughter in Primary six who was engaged in lesbianism at school and the mother was devasted by the news. This girl comes from a strong Christian family.  The girl told the mother that she even does it at home with her young sister. She learned this at school and she was also training others. It is now not news that our children as young as 10 years old are being initiated into homosexuality and lesbianism. Some of these cases happen in schools without the school administration’s knowledge. The parents also cannot believe their children are involved in any early sexual behaviors. When you interact with children who...