Nollywood veteran actress Patience Ozokwor has advised parents against shielding their children from every form of struggle, noting that overcoming challenges can help build resilience, responsibility and a strong work ethic.
The actress, best known as Mama G, warned that excessive protection could leave children unprepared for the realities and demands of adulthood.
However, she clarified that allowing children to face challenges should not be mistaken for deliberately exposing them to suffering.
“When you say, ‘I don’t want my children to suffer what I suffered when I was growing up,’ okay, that’s the best way to destroy your children,” she said.
“I’m not saying allow them to suffer. What I’m saying is allow them to struggle. Go through the process.”
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The actress spoke about her own difficult path to success, recalling how she took on different forms of work while pursuing opportunities in the Nigerian film industry.
Ozokwor said she once made and sold food at movie locations and audition venues, using the income to support herself.
“There was a time I was frying buns. When I even came into the industry, I would prepare chicken, dress it well. I would prepare buns for anyone you want to buy.”
She said the experience was part of the reality she faced while trying to establish herself, adding that she saved the money she made from selling the food to fund her movement between locations.
“But maybe the next day you see the children standing, waiting for me to see if there’s money coming up for handouts and for all that. Yes, that’s how I grew up,” she said.
Speaking in an interview with Femi Bassey TV on YouTube, shared on Wednesday, Ozokwor also reflected on raising her children while dealing with the challenges of caring for her husband, who lived with diabetes and hypertension for years.
“I don’t say that your children will go through all the pains you went through, but let them go through little pains. Then they will know that it is not easy to make money,” she said.
Ozokwor also cautioned parents against giving their children inherited wealth without preparing them to manage and grow it.
“Don’t get this on the platter of gold. It’s not easy. Your father built three houses, four houses and you think you can balance on eating it,” she said.
Vanguard
