Lagos: 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.
According to Ghana Web, the actress emphasized 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. She stated, "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." Ozokwor clarified, "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."
Additionally, Ozokwor addressed the topic of family wealth, asserting that children should not simply expect to inherit everything their parents worked for. She advised parents to communicate to their children the importance of earning their own success. "Keep the things that you have and let them know that you go get yours, this is mine," she added.
The actress also shared her personal experience, explaining that she applied the same approach to her own son. Ozokwor revealed that she told her son to work for his own home instead of assuming that her house belonged to him. "I told my son, my house isn't yours, go and work for your own," she said.