Boy Child Parenting

Growing up in the bustling and populous estate in Nairobi known as Eastleigh, it was always great fun going out to play football with neighbours and friends.

We would meet right outside the roadside, collect a bunch of polythene papers and some sisal strings. The deft ones would also pick up sponges thrown about due to lack of use. Skillful use of these elements would result in a well woven medium-sized bouncing ball. It would be ready for use within a matter of minutes and a pitch would be quickly created soon after.

The pitch entailed creating some space either on the non-busy side of the road or any empty space with clothes hanging of the lines. The type of surface did not matter. We swiftly moved the often wet and dripping clothes aside and using four of the biggest stones we could get, create the goal posts for each team.

Among us would be the one considered most fair and learned enough to be allowed to confirm that the well spaced pair of stones are equi-distant enough to make a fair goal post for each side.

Let the Game Begin

We then stood in one line facing same direction and upon the call by the captain of either side, you would step forward or backward to end up with two teams. To differentiate each side’s team, one side had to remove their t-shirts and the others retained theirs.

That marked the beginning of a a day long football thriller complete with supporters for each side. We would play through lunch hour and evening till when we can’t see the ball. Alternatively, at the sight of any of your parents coming from work, you would quickly duck and run back home.

Young boys nowadays.

There seems to be a complete replacement of the outdoors with indoor stay. The urban pre-teen boys spend most of their time on phones, tablets or lap tops playing games or recording videos for the many emerging platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat to mention but a few.

These platforms seem to be addictive enough to warrant development of very rude anti-social behaviours from them. Interrupting them when they are playing any of these games seems to invite unwarranted protest and choice words picked from the self-same platforms.

There needs to be a healthy balance of socializing and physical exercise for boys at that age.

Especially now that there is no school attendance, there is a likelihood that your ‘innocent’ boy will pick up some really bad habits online which will be life-changing and very difficult to amend in future. The wise men say that you must straighten the  tree when still young and in its absence, prepare to chop it down if it leans in the wrong direction in future.

It’s a given that in this fourth information revolution, there is an overabundance of information and apps. However, as a caring parent, take time to monitor what they engage in online noting the language and spare some face time with them. Encourage them to go out and have a walk, run or play outside even if it is for brief periods. There will be a big impact on their mental and physical growth. You can thank me later.