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Catholic Bishop in Nigeria Urges Parents to Foster “positive parenting behaviors”

Credit: Lafia Diocese

Parents in Nigeria need to foster “positive parenting behaviors” in their respective families, a Catholic Bishop in the West African nation has said.

In his Sunday, March 26 homily at St. William's Cathedral of Lafia Diocese, Bishop David Ajang said that positive parenting, which involved inculcating in children “the right attitude” can go a long way in making the children useful members of the society.  

“Parents must set good examples by promoting positive parenting behaviors within the family to ensure peace and unity in the society,” Bishop Ajang said.

He added, “Parents, especially mothers must inculcate the right attitude in their children to enable them to become useful in society.” 

“Parents, especially our mothers, have a lot following the growing number of social vices in our society today,” the Nigerian Catholic Bishop said during the Eucharistic celebration marking Mother's Day in Africa’s most populous nation that was delayed by a week.

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“Although many women are professionals in their chosen careers and have been working hard to take care of the needs of their families, there is need to adjust because those families are beginning to suffer,” the Local Ordinary of Lafia Diocese who doubles as the Episcopal Chairman of Social Communications Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) said.

He underscored the need for parents to “prepare our young girls for marriage because marriage exposes people who lack good parenting.”

“Some of our mothers no longer teach their girls how to cook and take care of the home.,” the Catholic Church leader said, adding that mothers “get busy with their career and forget to teach the children the right values.”

Bishop Ajang who was appointed Bishop in March 2021 and has been at the helm of Lafia Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in June 2021 called up bon parents to “rise up to their duties by imparting positively on their children for the growth and development of the society.”

He congratulated mothers on Mother’s Day 2023 in Nigeria, and commended them for “supporting their husbands in providing for the family.”

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Bishop Ajang called on Christians “to bring their problems to God, saying that only God can provide for their needs as well as turn their sufferings into joy if only they trust in him.”

On her part, the President of the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) at Nigeria’s St William's Cathedral, Hope Usman, called on women to “wake up to their responsibilities by training their children in the way of the Lord for a better family and society at large.” 

“We are known to be help-mates to our husbands so we must continue to take responsibilities and train our children in the right direction,” Mrs. Usman said.

She further acknowledged with appreciation “a lot of sacrifices” that women have made, illustrated in “the things we do for our families and so we shouldn't relent but do more for the betterment of the society.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.