Veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G, has warned parents that over-pampering their children could affect their ability to become responsible and independent adults.
Speaking about parenting, wealth and inheritance, Ozokwor said parents should allow their children to experience challenges and work for what they want, instead of making everything available to them.
“When you say, ‘I don’t want my children to suffer what I suffered when I was growing up’, you see, that’s the best way to destroy your children,” she said.
The actress clarified that she was not asking parents to deliberately make their children suffer, but urged them to let them struggle and understand the process of building their own lives.
“I’m not saying allow them to suffer, what I’m saying is allow them to struggle. Go through the process.
“But when you pamper them, they don’t come out to be anything,” she said.
Ozokwor also spoke about family wealth, saying children should not simply expect to inherit everything their parents worked for.
“Keep the things that you have and let them know that you go get yours, this is mine,” she added.
The actress revealed that she applied the same approach to her own son, telling him to work for his own home instead of assuming that her house belonged to him.
Ozokwor said, “I told my son, my house isn’t yours, go and work for your own.”
