Veteran Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor warns parents against over-pampering their children, saying excessive comfort can prevent young people from becoming responsible and independent adults.
Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G, spoke about parenting, wealth and inheritance. She urged parents to resist the temptation to give their children everything simply because they want them to avoid the hardships they experienced while growing up.
According to the actress, parents should allow their children to experience some challenges. She argued that young people need to understand the effort and discipline required to build their own lives.
“When you say, ‘I don’t want my children to suffer what I suffered when I was growing up’, you see, that’s the best way to destroy your children,” she said.
However, Ozokwor stressed that she was not encouraging parents to deliberately make their children suffer.
Instead, she called for a balanced approach to parenting. Parents, she said, should provide support while also teaching their children how to work, solve problems and take responsibility for their choices.
Her warning touches on a growing debate about wealth and inheritance. While financial security can give children opportunities, too much protection can also prevent them from developing resilience.
For Ozokwor, the real responsibility of a parent goes beyond leaving money or property behind. Parents must also prepare their children to survive when those resources are no longer available.
Therefore, Patience Ozokwor warns parents that love should not become an excuse for removing every difficulty from a child’s path.
Her message is simple: parents should not only ask what they can give their children. They should also ask what abilities their children need to develop before they inherit what their parents have built.
Ultimately, Patience Ozokwor warns parents that raising responsible adults requires more than comfort. It requires guidance, discipline, patience and the willingness to let children learn from life.
