Parents can give the greatest gifts to their children

NANCY NJAGI-MBITHI explains how Christian values and a good education have moulded her

I am blessed to have grown up in a Christian family and had an opportunity to receive an excellent education.

All gratitude to my parents for their hard work and commitment in giving their children the best there was in terms of education. Of course, there were some sacrifices to make — like going to boarding school while pretty young or getting up at 4am in the case of my sister to get to her school on time.

Values

But what made the greatest difference is having a Christian father who was a role model, clearly demonstrating with all moral integrity how the head of the family should behave.

I am who I am today because of an excellent Christian background and an opportunity to attain a wonderful education — the two greatest gifts any parent could ever give to their children.

When passed on from the parent to the child, Christian values give a child a moral base for relating with others, self, environment and God. When all of these relationships are in place, a person is able to live a more fulfilled life away from conflict.

Christian values also compel a person to use their resources appropriately. Instead of a person using their financial resources on vices such as alcohol, gambling, seeking sexual pleasure or drugs, one is compelled to allocate their resources on issues that will aid personal growth and that of their family.

Education is another valuable gift that a parent can give to their children. A good education broadens a child’s options in life and gives them a head-start to life’s opportunities. These days, educating your child until the first degree is not enough. Children need additional skills and tools to get them handle the hustles of a growing Kenya.

Education and a Christian upbringing are distinctly important especially when you compare a family that has these values with one that doesn’t. I am convinced that children are more emotionally and socially troubled when they do not have sound values and morals to guide them through life.

It is proven that a girl brought up in an environment where the father was abusive, will most likely be attached to a man similar to her father. Such a child would be lacking the appropriate values and morals to emulate in a man because her worldview is filled with images of an abusive spouse.

Access to education

In most situations, a lack of education makes a child extremely disadvantaged. That is why I will strongly support the Kenyan Government in its move to create equal access to national secondary schools for children who have performed well and come from poorly resourced schools or disadvantaged communities.

With the same breath, I strongly encourage MPs to consider allocating their Constituency Development Funds to secondary and higher education for their constituents.

So think through it this week — the greatest gifts parents can give their children are a good education and a Christian upbringing. If you are reading this article, you are probably convinced about the education part, but what are you doing about merging this with a Christian upbringing?

Try it and let me know.