The traditional roles of mothers and fathers in raising children are often influenced by societal norms and expectations. Whether one parent should invest more than the other in raising children is a complex question. TEMILOLUWA AKINOLA, OLUWADARASIMI FAGOBI, and AYOMIPO AKANO assisted in sourcing responses to this topic.
Maryam Pedro
Both parents should play their roles. The love and care of a mother cannot be overemphasised, and the support and guidance of a father cannot be wished away.
Tosin Oladeji
The mother is the nurturer and caretaker. She interacts with the children. The father, in contrast, is the financial provider, decision-maker, and disciplinarian. Regarding parenting roles, times have changed for the better. Children growing up in homes where two parents who have been married continuously are less likely to experience a wide range of problems (academic, social, emotional, cognitive), not only in childhood but later on in adulthood as well.
Fowodu shanumi
Parents should invest equally, but the mother should be more available for the child emotionally because of the ‘bond’ they share. The father should be there too to be a father figure the child needs.
Abolarin Moses
On a scale of 100, 70 – 80 per cent of the time, the man should take the major responsibility. The woman could only support. God made man the head of a woman − it is the responsibility of the man to cater for the needs of his family. Women are only help mate. They could only help in other aspects at home. There are some aspects women need to fill in in the lives of their children. Money cannot do everything. The man could mostly support financially, but the woman must see to the day-to-day affairs of the home. It is a combined effort. However, 70 – 80 per cent of the work should come from the man, the woman could only fill in the remaining space since they both gave birth to the children.
Dehinbo idowu
The mother should not invest more in the children. It is the responsibility of both parents. What a mother would do in the lives of her children is different from what a father would do. They both have a space to fill. If someone is lagging in one area, it becomes obvious. The space a mother would fill is different from that of a father. They both have their areas of investment in the family. Both parents should be available to train their children.
Lola Akano
The mother must invest more time than the father in raising children. This is because, in most cases, the father is not always available and the mother is the one that grooms the child right. So it is very important that the mother spends more time with the child because the person that is always available has the upper hand in raising the child. The children of today are suffering because today mothers are competing with their husbands which makes raising children a difficult thing, unlike in the old generation where the mother is always around to invest in the children while the father goes out to work. Mothers need to go back to the drawing board and start raising their children, not leaving them in the hands of helpless house helps. Another problem is mothers wanting their children to go to boarding houses right from primary school. Mothers are to be available to raise their children. Fathers are not exonerated from this. They should also play their role, but mothers have a lot of roles than fathers do. Mothers ought to be at the centre of the home affairs. A lot of things that are required by the child to learn are dependent on the mother. Mothers are encouraged to work but to do the work that gives them allowance to train the children well.
Oladele Oluwadare
When we talk about investing in children’s lives, the father has a major role to play. Mothers only have a minor role to play. They are meant to support not to take charge. It is the father’s responsibility, and it would be an insult if the mother takes the role of a father. It is the duty of the father to cater for the needs of his children no matter what the situation is. He has to invest more than his wife. Even if the mother is financially okay than the father, it is still the duty of the father to take the major role in investing in the lives of the children since they bear his name.
Praise James
Both parents should try their best in raising their children. Our tradition has made it mandatory for fathers to invest more than mothers, of which has merits and demerits. One of the demerits is that too many bills cause men to overuse themselves and it badly affects their health. It is the responsibility of the man to secure a good future for his children. However, if the woman has what it takes there is nothing bad in helping out since they are going to enjoy the fruit of their labour together.
Abdallah Muhammad
Traditionally, the father is supposed to be the head of the family, which means both the mother and the children are under him. He could cover the financial need of the family − and sometimes, advice. While the mother spends most of her time with the children, tutors them, show them the bigger picture of the world, and teaches them day-to-day activities such as cooking, and human relations. However, both the father and mother should be responsible. Raising children is the responsibility of both parents.
Okoi Apollos
Mothers cover up the sins of children more than fathers, which leads to children misbehaving. Fathers are more advisory than mothers. They impose discipline to protect the child’s future. Mothers also care domestically, but cannot protect the child’s future.
Ogbebor Catherine
Fathers should invest more than women in their children and this is because it is their responsibility to cater for their families. And, it also depends on the financial stability of the man. The mother could be a helping hand.
Olufunke Famutimi
The roles of mothers and fathers in raising children traditionally include providing necessities like food, shelter, clothing and love. They are also responsible for providing informal education for the children. The first learning of a child begins at home and this is where the child gets associated with morals, learns how to greet, knows the importance of respecting elders, and so on. While the father is seen more as a caretaker, the mother’s role is to nurture the children. The mother should invest more and have a deeper relationship with the children. However, she should not neglect the fact that the father should have a strong relationship with the children too.
Don Muller
When we first look into how things are being done traditionally, we would agree that women should invest more. But having children should not be seen as an investment. It is a normal thing.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNEÂ
and then