Children are naturally curious; they are wired to want to know, ranging from a suckling baby to a toddler who hits his spoon on the glass dining room and is excited by the sound it makes. He gradually continues to hit the dining table until he’s cautioned to stop.

It’s very healthy for a child to be curious; if the trait of curiosity is found wanting in a child, then there’s a problem.

Even as adults, we live in curiosity till our very last breath; not being eager to know is the same as being dead.

To help your child explore his creativity and stir his curiosity, these are things you ought to do.

Ways to fire up curiosity in a child are as follows:

ASK QUESTIONS: I always emphasise asking children questions because I understand their effect on a child’s brain. When having a conversation with a child, make sure you probe further to ask questions; don’t let the dialogue end on the surface. Learn to use the words ‘what if’ and ‘why’ more often.

LISTEN AND HEAR THEM: Don’t shush your child when they come to you with questions; it’s just proof that your child’s imagination and creativity are at work, which is a good thing. Calm down to listen and give answers to the questions asked.

LET THEM SEE YOU CURIOUS: Have you ever let your thoughts out in the midst of your kids? Try that out to hear what they have to say about it. I want to believe you are not a know-it-all parent; let them see that you are curious about a thing and want to know more about it. You don’t have to be the one to provide them with all the answers they seek; you can as well meet them in the middle: “Oh, Danny, I don’t know much about this, but we can figure it out together” or “Mr. Williams knows better about this; we should ask him.” This is a reply that shows you also have the spark to know, which is what curiosity is all about.

TAKE THEM AWAY FROM THEIR COMFORT ZONE: This might be taking them away from their environment to see what life on the other side looks like, but it isn’t limited to that. What about trying to flip their books from the fiction they love to non-fiction books? I know you will get funny looks from them, but I am sure you can do well to convince them. You can actually make Danny do volleyball for the next few weeks instead of soccer. This is him trying to handle a new skillset and getting curious about new things. You can also take them to places of interest, like the museum, art gallery, beach, and many other places.

PROVIDE THEM WITH THE NECESSARY GADGET: Providing your kids with the necessary tools and gadgets can be a way of firing up their curiosity. Gadgets like laptops, magic cubes, tablets, ULesson, building blocks, etc. Even when you choose to get toys for them, make sure it’s something realistic that fits into the world they are in. You can choose to get them toys of different animals and other things in society. Children learn faster with practicals and what the eyes can see.

MAKE ROOM FOR PLAY AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES; play is also a way of helping your child’s creativity and curiosity. Too much restriction limits your child’s imagination. Let them play, but also create a safe environment for playtime.

everychilddeservesbetter

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It has been long overdue since the last time I wrote to you. How are you doing?

I’ve recently spoken with many of you, and to be honest, there’s a problem with many teenagers’ mindsets.

I have come to realise that one of our major focus should be on your mind, capturing your mind to think rightly and to incubate ideas that enable you to see the possibility of attaining great heights.

Most of you have grown up in an environment that has fed you trash over the years that you now bask in the web of low intelligence (IQ).

You are yet to find yourself, but someone is already leaning on you in the name of love. (Infatuation becomes the order of the day.)

It’s just so normal to join the bandwagon; of course, you just can’t face the pressure of being different.

Your physical looks and body are of more importance to groom than your well-being; after all, you have been made to believe ‘it’s all about looks’. You lack the capacity to define your personality, the YOU behind the charade.

You laugh out loud at those who want to talk sense into you, waving hands at their words and reminding them you are Gen Z, so they should just take a pill.

You have gradually become a pseudo-listener to everyone who tries to correct you. The belief that you know what you are doing has darkened your mind towards the reality of life.

I love you so much and want you to do the right thing; just like a big sister, I wouldn’t make a mistake and let you thread on that path.

Your acting the way you do stems from your background, people, and environment. The things you consumed made you develop this mindset. Even though I feel bad when you do the things you do, I guess that’s the only life you know.

The problem I have with you is not opening up to learning, not wanting to unlearn and relearn.

It’s appalling when all you care about at this young stage is a guy or girl who loves you. Love is indeed a beautiful thing, but there’s time for everything.

Lacking the desire to seek knowledge, the inquisitive spirit, the dream of changing narratives.

This is time to take the bull by its horn, a moment to develop yourself, because in this game, it’s beyond physical appearance; it can take you to the top, but it can’t sustain you there.

It’s more attractive to be beautiful, handsome, yet valuable, with a touch of an excellent spirit.

The ball is in your court to become the girl or boy you are destined to be.

The world’s stage is so large to accommodate all of our dreams, but the question is, ‘Do you have a dream?.

I love you, and I am always rooting for you.

everychilddeservebetter

The post A RELATABLE ADVISE TO TEENS appeared first on News Flash.

Nollywood actress Ekene Umenwa, popularly known as Palazzo and Jesus last baby, was seen overly excited as she went on bended knees before Nigerian popular gospel musician Moses Bliss on her wedding day, stirring so many reactions on social media.

Ekene Umenwa, who got married to her heartthrob Alex Ogbodo in the city of Benin last weekend, had her best friend Deacon Famous, who happens to be the MC of the occasion, surprise her with the presence of Ebuka songs and Moses Bliss.

According to Deacon Famous, Ekene had wanted a worship session for her wedding; she wanted to have Ebuka songs and Moses Bliss as gospel artists, but after much effort to get them invited, it was futile. Deacon went further to make it a surprise by going behind her back to get this artist to the venue.

Ekene, who had least expected to see this artist, went overboard with joy as she went on bended knees as well as hugging him.

The caption that has gone viral on social media is that ‘Ekene Umenwa abandoned her husband to kneel for Moses Bliss’. Some men even went further to call her husband a simp, laying emphasis on how disrespectful it is for her to kneel before a man in the presence of her husband.

Most men dwelled on the fact that they would have walked away and ended the marriage if their wife had pulled such a stunt on them.

stating that it’s high time ladies were educated on how to control their emotions. While they are people dwelling on the negative, they are also people saying that ‘the couple should be allowed to breathe’. With reference to her being star-struck and being overly excited, it could have been anyone.

Others said she knelt for the grace of God and not for Moses Bliss, and for some, that’s how people worship pastors.

It is no longer news that we love to trend for the wrong reason in this country. All I see is a one-sided story that has been flying on the internet; no caption reads that she kneeled before her friend Deacon Famous in appreciation for pulling the big surprise on her. We were just too fast to pass judgement over her action in sighting the gospel artist.

Was it actually extra to kneel before Moses Bliss and Deacon Famous? Of course it was, and because there’s no template on how to be expressive of one’s happiness, it is advisable to leave that to the judgement of the man she is married to. And if he doesn’t see anything wrong with what she did, I don’t think it’s in your place to school her dear online in-laws.

To those who are calling her husband a simp, understand that respect means different acts for different men. Most men have grown beyond the average understanding of how life should be lived, especially when it comes to building a family.

It’s important we learn to dwell on the positive rather than spread the negative so fast.

Congratulations, Ekene Umenwa.

The post NETIZENS STIRS UPROAR OVER A VIRAL VIDEO OF NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS EKENE UMENWA KNEELING BEFORE GOSPEL MUSICIAN, MOSES BLISS ON HER WEDDING DAY appeared first on News Flash.

Through many years of my youth, I have witnessed so many cultures and traditions that has been followed through till this present generation commonly in places like Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba to be precise. Their various lifestyles has been their stronghold and pride whereby people living in these ethnic groups follow the footsteps of their ancestors and customs or practices in their land and these factors may include their religion, festivity, marriage rites, language, values and beliefs, food and/or diet, art, to mention just few.

Based on the aforementioned, these factors are centered majorly on crisis found within marriage rites of two different people[man and woman] from different ethic groups who falls in love with each other but are yet still battling to push through with their plan to be together and build their homes without further interference of both families or extended family members. This problem often begin during the first stage of the relationship between the man and the woman where either of them is mentally debating if their union would last for a lifetime or prolly momentarily. A typical example of this can be seen when a woman born in an Igbo land and practice Christianity gets herself engaged with a Muslim man. These two grown couple sometimes debate within themselves whether their union would yield something beautiful or chaos after saying “YES!” to marring him especially if he/she is the first to marry from a totally different place other than their land.

Moreover, questions like this keeps popping into their heads…
“Am I making the right choice?”
“ Is his family going to accept me?”
“What would become of me and our children if we eventually neglect these warnings from our families?”
“Would these choices make or break my family apart especially with our kids?”
“Would this make me abandon my religion that I have been practicing for years for his/hers?” etc.

Meanwhile, they battle their conscience day and night trying to find answers to their confusion and/or problems to satisfy their curiosities even when they are both comfortable being with each other. Due to this reason, either of them may start to find other alternatives, that is, seeking out for another partner causing him to lose his/her attention or focus in the other which could result to infidelity and less communication all for the sake of not jeopardizing his/her family.

Parents on the other hand should quit any form of stereotypes and discouragement when they discover plans like this with their child or children due to past experiences encountered by themselves or people close to them. In that case, they should try to educate them on what to expect, or the possible changes that may occur when being married to these group of people[Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba etc] or otherwise help to guide them if ever they come across any sort of difficulties in their marriages because it only “TAKES TWO TO TANGO”.

The post Intertribal Challenges Faced By Most Women in Relationships appeared first on News Flash.

For instance, if there’s a woman that sells raw fish around your neighborhood, instead of referring to her as a fishmonger, you choose to call her a “fishseller”, What about the cobbler down the street, whom you refer to as a shoemaker? So, you wouldn’t expect your child to grow up using words like fishmonger and cobbler when they aren’t frequently used around the house.

As Nigerians, most of you will say all this stuff doesn’t matter; whatever you choose to call it is fine as long as the other person understands, but it does matter because we are raising a new generation of kids who will connect locally and internationally with great minds; it’s not just a Naija thing.

Mind you, not only children raised abroad are meant to speak well; children in Nigeria are also meant to speak well with the right pronunciation and vocabulary. We have seen a lot of Nigerian-raised kids who speak well; yours shouldn’t be left out.

Be intentional about working on your vocabulary to help your child.

Inculcate a reading habit in your child; start early to introduce them to books of different kinds. Aside from building their vocabulary, its good effect is lifelong.

Get them to discuss the books they read with you, and help them become conversant with new words from this book while you try to use them in different scenarios.

Toddlers aren’t exempt from this; read it out loud to them.

Lastly, good movies also help to build a child’s vocabulary. Yeah, I say too much screen time is bad, but that doesn’t call for the elimination of movies from a child’s life.

Watch out for movies with good moral lessons whose vocabulary is top-notch; just like reading, discuss this movie with them and find out their takeaway from it.

By Doris Chisom

The post HOW TO BUILD YOUR CHILD’S VOCABULARY appeared first on News Flash.