Positive Parenting

By Dickson Tumuramye The month of December brings Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, marking a time of joy and togetherness for people around the world. For Christians, it's a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and to spend quality time with loved ones, often including visits to family in the villages. As we gather to celebrate, Christmas offers a unique opportunity to strengthen family bonds and foster positive transformation. Let's explore some key ways in which Christmas can strengthen our families. Bonding Christmas celebrations provide a chance for family members to come together to enjoy the day. Whether it's children, their spouses, and their children gathering for a meal, or grandparents having the opportunity to be with all their grandchildren, these moments create a sense of unity and togetherness, promoting familial bonding. Relationships Christmas brings together family members who may not always be close, breaking down barriers and creating...

By Dickson Tumuramye Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow says Melody Beattie, an American author. Gratitude is a virtue of utmost importance for every individual. It enables one to appreciate their entire being, fostering a sense of contentment in the knowledge that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.  This profound emotion originates from within and is conveyed through both words and actions, aiding in the cultivation of a positive mindset. Indeed, gratitude can be considered a divine sentiment. Instilling discipline in children from a young age is a crucial endeavor. As the adage goes, charity begins at home, and so does the teaching of gratitude and contentment. Parents play a pivotal role in this process, starting with the introduction of simple phrases such as "thank you," "I am grateful," "you are most welcome," "I am happy for what you have done for me," amon...

By Dickson Tumuramye The former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela once said that the true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children. Child abuse comes in so many ways in our homes. The main four types of abuse are physical, emotional, neglect, and sexual abuse. Each of these types manifests itself in different forms in any home at any time and each has devastating consequences in the life of a child. The most common abuse in our homes is the use of harsh words against children. There are people who speak into the lives of children in the name of correcting them. The words used instead break their hearts though they may never show them to you. Some parents use threats, abuse, mockery, and belittling, spitting on a child among others. Such words humiliate, degrade, and cause low self-esteem, loss of self-confidence, and emotional stress. Some children are silenced or not allowed to talk about anything in their homes. They are ridiculed when they try to...

By Dickson Tumuramye It is important for anyone intending to get married to go through premarital counseling with his/her fiancéé/fiancé. There are churches or preachers who don’t take premarital counseling as a vital aspect of preparing these two friends to engage  in a marriage relationship. Some churches encourage one year or not less than six months of premarital counseling sessions where they take the affianced through many topics. They empower them with soft skills which are the strong foundations of marriage and how to build a healthy and lasting relationship. Premarital counseling provides very valuable tools and insights that a couple can use to navigate through life challenges and focus on building a blissful marriage. There are many sessions covering marriage matters that either the groom and the bride, the church, or parents should never take for granted. The issues handled in these sessions may never be taught anywhere in school. These sessions are very practical ...

By Dickson Tumuramye I had a chat with my friend whose daughter recently finished senior four and the son completed primary seven. He was so excited about it that he was looking forward to his children resting from reading and just being at home relaxing. That comment attracted my attention as he prefers them to stay at home enjoying their rest from all the pressure. I asked him about other plans he had for his children during the period they are staying at home which is closer to three months. I assure you there is no plan apart from waiting for results and the rest will follow. It is good to know that during this vacation you can achieve a lot for your children than keeping them at home watching TV, being on social media, and enjoying meals prepared meals by others. You can apply these skills to empower your child with various skills. Plan together Ask your children how they intend to utilize their holiday. That is the starting point to listen to their ideas and plan to...

By Dickson Tumuramye All children are vulnerable as they grow up. They face several challenges that range from kidnaps, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, peer rejection, mental health issues, bullying, peer pressure, mistreatment, and harassment from fellow children and adults. It is worse for the girl child as they face a lot of abuse especially sexually from adults. Due to what all children experience, their environment seems unsafe for them. This does not matter whether a child is from a humble or rich background. They can all face such vulnerabilities in life from anyone at any time. This is the reason why as a parent you need to teach your child resistance skills. Child resistance skills refer to skills any child can learn and implement as and when they are interfaced with a challenge. They can protect themselves from very potentially dangerous or harmful people or situations. It is for their personal safety and well-being in times of need. You need to help your children...