Parenting Then vs Now

Comparing parenting styles in the 80s vs modern parenting of today is an interesting topic of discussion. I was born in the 1980s, old me, hahahaha. Growing up, I experienced strict parenting that made me harbor both fears and emotions. Sometimes , I would want to speak of something, but the fear of receiving the beating of my life will make me shut my mouth.

Have you heard of African parents? My lawd! .., most of us received a factory brain reset from our parents even for little things that can be corrected politely. My stepmom, for example, tied me up like logs of wood and beat me terribly those days, and when I mistakenly cried for being beaten up , she would bundle me out of the gate and lock up the gate at night, that's lock me out there, you can imagine. It was risky, but it is what it was.

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I left my father's house to live with my grandma and still faced another round of parental upbringing , so strict and authoritative. Who are you to express yourself? Whatever Mama says is how it is. They didn't spare the rod on me, so I won't spoil, lol, but then, it was way too much that it affected my emotions sometimes. But you see discipline , running errands, and respecting my elders—I got it A1 because I had no choice but to dance to Mumsy's tune or otherwise receive punishment without room for explanations.

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The fear of doing bad things was always there. Sometimes, when I am walking on the road , I feel like my grandma is right at my back watching every move I make; it was that serious. And lots of other experiences back then, both the good , the bad, and the manageable ones, lol.

However , in today's modern parenting , it's a bit different but still not totally good. The good side I personally love is giving my children the opportunity to express themselves before any possible discipline, which is better than just descending on a child like he has no choice. Sometimes their opinion matters. I give them little privilege when necessary without crossing the boundary. This way, they keep building their confidence over certain things.

But then, I must stress that most modern parents overdo things. Romancing parenting , being too overprotective without doing the needful, and that's why you will see some children today afraid of facing their society. They are not well grounded. We think that when we train them rightly , then it means being harsh , na so..lol!

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Sometimes , I still unleash the African woman parenting in me, lol.

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The idea is to adopt the positive part of parenting styles of the 80s and combine it with the positive part of our modern parenting of today; it becomes a nice combo with the aim of raising responsible children.

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