PARENTING THROUGH ADVERSITY: A Message of Love and Resilience

My body aches as I write this, and so does my energy, yet despite all of this, the desire and fire in me serve as the strength that kept me going and striving to be there for my family and loved ones. Adulthood isn't a child's play, and coupled with parenthood responsibility, one needs to understand that things don't necessarily go as we've planned at times; in fact, life has ways of throwing unforeseen circumstances at us, like illness, but as loving parents, we shouldn't let that define us.

For the past few days, I've been down with illness and have had to resort to some medication that has made me fall asleep for most hours or the day after work hours. Yes, I still go to work, and that's because I'm the type of person who doesn't love to leave any stone unturned before the day ends, so despite the illness, I work and also look for mediums via which I can actively be there for my family, and in this post I share some acts that made this much easier for me in such a situation as I'm presently in.

• One other lesson we can use in this situation to impact the lives of our children is to let them understand that life is all about ups and downs and that challenges will always come our way. We should use that opportunity to show them how we personally fight off challenges and overcome them, something this message can be passed across through how they see you showcase your strength and resilience in such situations. This helps build a mentality of overcoming challenges and a positive attitude that can also be related to other life issues aside from just health matters.

• In such situations, it usually seems as though we've limited time to spend with our children, probably due to the nature of the illness, the tiredness, or the effect of the medication that can make one fall asleep within a tinkle of an eye. So one thing that's vital is that we need to cherish every moment, live life to the fullest, and spend quality time with our loved ones (children). This is highly significant because some children won't notice any difference between when their parents are healthy and hearty and when they're sick because such parents hardly have time for them.
  

A child you give your all to will understand in days when you couldn't do all of this and reason with you to understand the situations, and in their little way, they can try to help with some of their house chores, running errands, or even putting you in their prayers for a quick recovery, so the importance of quality time being spent with our wards can never be overemphasized.

This is my brother's daughter, who stays with us, and we stay not too far from one another as we go back and forth all day because she noticed the changes and my inability to spend time with them like I used to and to play her own part. She usually runs to my place after school hours to check up on me, help me run errands, and even volunteer to do some tasks I wanted to do myself. She is such a sweet little girl with a heart of gold.

• But aside from all of this, we shouldn't let illness stop us from fulfilling our responsibilities as parents. If it were possible, we should inculcate a savings culture before the children are born or immediately after they're given birth. Such savings, when consistently invested in, can go on to help out the child when they grow much older or at least meet some of their needs, such as school fees, necessary materials, items, and the like. So inculcating a savings culture aimed at building strong financial backing for our children is definitely a way to go, because we don't know what tomorrow holds for us, the parents.

That's about it for now. I hope you enjoyed the read. Overall, we shouldn't forget that one of the best things we can offer our children is our time, love, and attention. It's a valuable gift that can't be purchased with money and which they'll grow up to cherish forever, so keep up the good work and let the light in you shine brightly towards your children so that they may positively illuminate the world at large.

NOTE: All pictures used in this write-up are mine.

Thanks so much for your time. Have a blessed and productive week ahead.