The Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria (MCN), Samuel Kanu-Uche, has urged Nigeria parents to inculcate Christian morals in their children as a means of curbing social vices in the country.
Kanu-Uche stated this during the 39th Bishop Council Conference of the MCN held in Lagos, where he disclosed that the church has not derailed from its traditional methods of child grooming, and charged parents to step up their roles as stipulated by the scriptures.
“The church has a well thought out scheme on how to educate and prune the character of young persons to be in conformity with acceptable societal norms. The training at home forms the base on which church teachings stand, but where parents are not able to impact the domestic teachings, that of the church will not be internalised by youth,” he said.
According to the Prelate, the desire for materialism had made parents jettison their obligations to their children. He further cautioned parents to make out time to understand their children to aid them out of their challenges.
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“We are in the era of digital evolution. It is expected of parents to censor what children watch or read on the internet in order for their minds not be polluted by indecent pictures and unguided write-ups.
“Children emulate easier what they see parents do than what they are asked to do; therefore, as a parent, what is your conduct like? Is it in tandem with good moral impact?
“Good manners such as respect for elders, greetings, rendering help to people in need, decent dressing, speaking in low voice are all values that if acquired, will help one to be a good person,” Kanu-Uche stated.
According to him, youth involvement in immorality is an off-shoot of parents’ inability to deepen the teachings of the scriptures among the younger generations. However, to reverse the trend, he said parents should ensure that the scriptures are read daily at home to enable the children imbibe its good role model to help them grow in positive values.
The Prelate said that the community should also be on the watch out for children especially when they were away from home such as in schools and help to retrace any unwholesome act. According to him, sanctions should not be spared when there were needs for such, as these would help the erring person to be shaped into imbibing good value orientations.
