END SARS AT HOME

Kudos to Nigerian youths and other well meaning Nigerians who are spearheading the ENDSARS protest.????????At last, there are voices speaking out against police brutality and high handedness.

But wait a minute; who is going to protest on behalf of our children against the high handedness of parents against them?

Some parents are more highhanded and inconsiderate than SARS.

Ask me how

1. Your decision is final at home; no other person's opinion or decision matters.

Even when you know that you are wrong, you still insist on having your way. ENDSARS! ??

2. Your children are driven to strangers because they are afraid of opening up to you. You are always out to criticize and stigmatize, instead of empathising with them even when they are hurting. ENDSARS! 

3. Your little children are constantly traumatized as they watch you day in and day out brutalising your spouse in domestic violence. 

They are woken from sleep time without number by the screaming and agonising cry of their mum (or dad, as the case may be) under deadly blows and punching from you. ENDSARS! 

4. Disciplining a child without spanking is not in your dictionary. You flog, slap, kick, punch the face, etc., incessantly at the slightest provocation. Your child is ashamed to wear some of their clothes because people will see the ugly scars on their body, which they received from your thoughtless beatings and ask them if they stole from a grocery shop. ENDSARS! 

5. Your children are taunted and humiliated at school and everywhere else because they have very poor self-esteem, which they acquired from your constant berating. They cannot speak when others are speaking; they are multi talented but cannot use any of their talents because they lack confidence in themselves. Why? Because you have always told them that they are useless and worthless?? ENDSARS! 

6. Your daughter is suffering in her marriage because you forced her to marry a man she never loved, and who obviously was only interested in exploiting her naivety to his own advantage. But you wanted her to marry from your class of folk. Your son is now sharing an abode with street urchins under the bridge because you drove him away from home with your thoughtless and inconsiderate actions and words??. ENDSARS! 

7. You are threatening, cursing and beating your children because you caught them watching porn. Meanwhile, they copied the link to the porn site from your phone when they were using it for online lessons??. ENDSARS! 

8. You disgraced your daughter in the midst of her peers because you saw her talking to a guy. But everyone in your neighborhood knows about your extramarital affairs, which has led to shameful fights between you and your spouse times without number. ENDSARS! 

9. Your children are not allowed to bring their friends home, so they end up hanging out with friends you do not know and doing despicable things with them in street corners.??  Meanwhile, you bring all manners of people - drunkards, drug addicts, pedophiles, gossips, etc., into your home; and your children watch you "displaying" with them shamefully. You even send the kids to buy drinks for you, then drink yourselves to a state of stupor before them. ENDSARS! 

10. You flog your children for not behaving well and maintaining decorum outside. You were angry the last time they gave your family a bad image in your place of worship. But under normal circumstances, your home can be best described as "Fuji house of commotion". There is nothing like decorum or orderliness there. Interpersonal relationship in your home is nothing to write home about. You and your spouse use unprintable words on each other and on your children. Yet you expect them to represent you well outside??. ENDSARS! 

I can go on and on, but I am mindful of your time. I am also mindful of the fact that you may be hurrying to join the ENDSARS protesters on the street.

But I just want to let parents know that if they do not do the needful now, another ENDSARS protest may rock different families very soon.

Don't ask me who the convener will be; after all we are yet to know the convener of the ongoing protest.

By the way, I don't think I told you the meaning of SARS as it affects the family.

 SARS in the family stands for: SYSTEMATIC ABUSE OF REQUISITE SECURITY???? 

I am still your loyal friend and fellow parent.??

 Shalom! 

 ?Ijeoma Igwesi 

 Family Life (Parenting) Coach 

 Blogger @ familymattersng.com 

 +234-81-47572512