By Dickson Tumuramye
It is good news to have all our children back home from school. I congratulate the candidates at all levels who completed their final exams. I also congratulate children who were not candidates upon finishing the year and for getting promoted to other classes.
It may not have been an easy journey for some children and parents, but everything has been possible with hard work, determination, commitment, and trust in God.
These kids will be with you for nearly two months, and the Senior Six leavers will be with you for even longer. You can make the most of this time with your children and keep them from becoming bored at home. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us the importance of being multiskilled to enable us to thrive in all situations. It is not appropriate to have your children sleep, wake up to eat, watch TV, accompany you shopping, or go on outings while the nannies do everything for them.
Many parents empower such nannies with a lot of soft skills that range from family planning and management, decision-making, problem-solving, time management, budgeting, and accountability, among others. Because you expect them to offer the best to your family, you train them how to cook nice food in different dishes, how to clean the rooms very neatly, and how to serve your children with excellence and cleanliness. They learn how to wash a lot of clothes as they are cooking, taking care of young ones, and ensuring that chickens or pigs reared at home have food. They develop resilience and gain a lot of knowledge and skills while your children are busy in the house doing literally nothing.
By the time this maid leaves your home, she is very skilled in home management, at the expense of your children. You have the option of having this nanny take some time off while your children assist her or him during this holiday.
Plan a schedule with children and let them show you what they will be doing. Know where they need your support, and tell them what you can afford to offer. Give them some time to rest from reading. Their minds need time to relax from school pressure. You can postpone coaching and holiday work until January 2023. The world isn’t just about books. You can also take leave during this holiday to be with them at home. It helps a lot with character building. My fellow men, plan for some free time and be at home with your children this holiday.
Some of you always go to places you want, but you never think about your children. Other parents think that it is very expensive to take children out. The challenge is that our minds are only focused on money-spending activities. Did you know that you can decide to take your children with you to a Christmas cantata at no cost? You can organize a football match or any fun activity outside the home for two hours. You can think of cheap ways to do a lot with them. What children want is to break the monopoly or boredom at home and spend quality and adequate time with their parents in a new setting.
