Veteran Nollywood Actress Patience Ozokwor has urged parents to let their children experience some level of struggle, saying the process can help them develop resilience, responsibility and appreciation for hard work.
Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G, said shielding children from all kinds of hardships could leave them ill-prepared for the realities of adulthood. He stressed that allowing children to experience hardship should not be confused with deliberately subjecting them to suffering.
“When you say, ‘I don’t want my children to suffer what I suffered when I was a child,’ okay, that’s the best way to destroy your children,” she said.
“I’m not saying let them suffer. What I’m saying is let them fight. Let’s follow the process.”
The actress spoke about her difficult road to success and recalled how she took on different forms of work while pursuing opportunities in the Nigerian film industry.
Ozokwor said he once prepared and sold food at movie locations and audition venues, using the proceeds to support himself and pay for transportation.
“There was a time when I fried buns. When I got into the industry, I made chicken, I dressed it well. I made buns for whoever wanted to buy it.”
He said the experience was part of the reality he faced while trying to establish himself, adding that he saved the money he earned from selling food to finance his move between locations.
“But maybe the next day you’ll see the kids standing around, waiting for me to see if there’s money for handouts and all that. Yeah, that’s how I grew up,” he said.
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.
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According to the actress, she deliberately exposed her children to the effort necessary to build a stable life instead of allowing them to assume that the things they had were guaranteed.
He recalled that three of his children participated in construction work when they were college students, and described those experiences as lessons in responsibility and the value of what the family had built.
“I’m not saying that your children will go through all the pains that you went through, but let them go through little pains. Then they will know that it is not easy to do,” he said.
Ozokwor also warned parents against giving their children inherited wealth without preparing them to manage and grow it.
“Don’t serve this on a platter of gold. It’s not easy. Your father built three houses, four houses, and you think you can balance eating it,” he said.
She encouraged young people to develop the determination to be self-employed, remembering that she did not depend solely on her husband’s financial support.
“I didn’t wait for my husband. I studied him. I knew the type of person he was. I buckled up and then I strapped myself in and fought,” she said.
Ozokwor said the lessons her children learned from witnessing the sacrifices involved in building family life have helped them become independent.
“My children know the pains of improving life and that is why they now feel comfortable, fighting alone.”
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