are gifts that keep up on giving – they are loving, they are tough, they are
inspiring and can sometimes drive you crazy (then again, all parents, regardless
of race or ethnicity, are all guilty of this), but we can’t deny that they are
the absolute best…
do.
Calling Their Children From Far Away To Hand Them Things Less Than
a Meter Away
Okay that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s not uncommon
for African parents to ask their children to do things they can easily do
themselves, or send their children on errands they can easily go on themselves.
They argue that the point of this is to teach their children duty and
responsibility, and considering how resourceful African children eventually
become, African parents just might be onto something.
Prohibiting
Children From Calling Elders By Their First Names
In African homes, it
is considered disrespectful for children to call an elder by their first name,
and African parents are zealous in ensuring such disrespect does not occur in
their homes. It is more appropriate for children to address elders as ‘uncle’ or
‘aunty’ (though the children might have no familial ties or relation with the
person). In less Afrocentric homes, the children are allowed to address elders
with ‘mr’, ‘miss’, ‘mrs’, ‘sir’, ‘ma’ or ‘madam’ in addition to their actual
names, but never with just their names.
Speaking To Their Children in
Proverbs and Metaphors
This is done often by African parents when they
are upset or dissatisfied with the actions of their child/children. African
parents use the proverbs and/or metaphors to better drive home their point to
their children, and ring a note of warning and/or caution. If an African parent
speaks to their child/children with a proverb and/or metaphor, they mean
business and it’s definitely not something to be taken lightly.
They
Seldom Admit They Are Wrong
For some reason, African parents seldom
admit they are wrong. They might acknowledge they have erred through their
actions, but they will hardly ever verbalize it or apologize for it. It is
difficult to understand, but some argue that it might have something to do with
the fact that they believe that admitting their faults and verbally apologizing
to their children will put the respect the children have for them at risk, and
humanize them to the point of possibly losing the respect of their children.
