Positive Parenting

  By Dickson Tumuramye At the time we thought we were done with the COVID-19 pandemic and we were getting back to normal, a second wave hit us again with its related effects that have left devastating challenges among families.  We have had cases of domestic violence on the rise, economic challenges, loss of our beloved, no schooling among others becoming part of us. As a result, sharing  with your family what you are experiencing may become hard. You are not alone in this storm and it’s better openness remain on top of your marriage. I share with you some tips on how to walk along together with your spouse and family. Communicate effectively There are some spouses who think that their partners will read their non-verbal communication and tell what they need. If the partner is not sensitive enough to detect it, the one grieved will feel so bad. I don’t see the reason why you cannot express your feelings to your spouse directly and be specific to what you need from him/her...

At birth I was named Prim Kesande. The adjective Prim means neat and proper, as my mother would later tell me when I became of age. I was born on a Sunday morning, at 11:57am to be precise. My surname was derived from the day of the week on which I was born. Mother also told me that if I had been born a boy, she would have called me Sabiti or Sunday, the masculine version of Kesande. Her choice of my christian name would have been Stanley or Hannington. She said those names sounded ‘neat and proper.’  Many people ask, what’s in a name? I will say, for me, the name is everything. One’s name is the first identifier, the rest, like character, gender, color are the specifics of whose name is in question. Names like David, Brian, Daniel were some of the names I loved while growing up. For David and Daniel, it was because of the outstanding Biblical characters they presented. Brian simply sounds cool. Beyond that, I was later in life to meet an angel in human form called Brian Williams...

  Prim Tumuramye Recently, while I made juice with my nine-year old son, he asked me a question which he has posed countless times before. ‘Mummy, when you were young, how many things did you want to become?’ he asked, intently looking at me. I did not have to give a second thought to this question. Not because of the countless times I had answered the same but rather, the fact that I could never forget my teenage career dream. When I was my son’s age, my career dreams oscillated from being a doctor to pilot and engineer. Then I grew up. As I grew up, I realized that it was not just about my fantasies; it was more about my investment into my dreams but also my natural abilities. Trying to remember all the parts of a Bunsen burner, putting into perspective the chemical formulas was not a cup of tea for me. Then came the biology practical lessons and dissecting God’s creatures like the frogs in the amphibian family. Till to date, I get goose pimples at the memory of those ugly cr...

  By Dickson Tumuramye On June 10, 2021, my wife and I reached home at around 7:30pm and found our six-year-old daughter complaining of fever. We gave her Panadol and the temperature was minimized, but when I checked on her at around 3:30am, the temperature had increased again. Since she did not show serious signs of flu, we decided not to give her flu medication. At 9:00am, I took her to the nearest clinic for a medical check-up and her temperature was at 38oC. A malaria test was recommended and it turned out negative. The doctor recommended we do a Covid-19 test and gave us a referral to a nearby government hospital. I went for a test reluctantly, being convinced that she was developing a mere cold since her sister had been with flu the past week. Reaching Mukono Hospital, there was an overwhelming number of people, but we managed to successfully get her tested and she was diagnosed with Covid-19. All along my daughter seemed okay except that she only complained of tiredness....

  By Dickson Tumuramye Marriage is an institution that is sanctified for both a husband with his wife to live together in harmony. It is for companionship and for the two people. There are so many things in marriage that can destroy the relationship with our spouses. Most of these may seem irrelevant and we tend to take them for granted.  These are: Unfaithfulness There is nothing that hurts for one to know that his/her spouse is sleeping around with other men/women. When we are making marriage vows, we promise to be faithful to each other. But along the way, some become unsatisfied with what they have and end up defiling their marriage. Unfaithfulness causes a lot of challenges like mistrust, resentment, murder, suicide, separation, and worst divorce. Unfaithfulness also may interfere with one’s salvation and relationship with God. Hebrews 13:4 says, “Give honor to marriage and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge tho...

  By Dickson Tumuramye  Everyone grows with ambitions and dreams. Each one of us has something that we desired to become in the future. Some dreamed of studying and becoming engineers, doctors, teachers, lawyers, social workers among others. Most of the future dreams are inclined to formal education. Because of the colonial systems, we are trained to believe that every success can be attained through formal education. One must study harder, acquire a certificate in any profession, get a white-collar job, and start earning money. As a result, we were not taken through informal education, emphasizing developing a child’s livelihood skills and talents that enhance creativity and innovation. Everyone has unique abilities. These abilities which may be natural or through training or God-given, are what we call talents or gifts (these words will be used interchangeably in this article). There are so many things we do without necessarily learning them from class. I have seen many peop...

  By Dickson Tumuramye Since the break-out of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot has totally changed in our lives. Some people lost their jobs, a lot of domestic and gender-based violence was reported in media, children have been out of school for long, some businesses collapsed, and incomes have reduced.  The government is still setting vigorous measures to enforce Covid-19 the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs); like curfew time, closure of some business places which don’t implement the SOPs, among others. With the pandemic-related challenges we are experiencing, couples need to work together if they are to effectively manage this uncertainty that may affect the marriage institution. Communication Some couples could have lost jobs or businesses or get infected with the virus. This is not the time to keep away from each other and feel isolated. Keep in constant talk as a couple. Discuss together any issue as it arises. Promote open communication in your midst and allow each other...