Teach them...

A day can't pass without hearing the news of youth caught stealing, doing evil rituals, prostitution, drugs, cultism, and many other awkward things. These things are becoming a normal thing among the youths and it scares me if things continue to go this way because most of these terrible habits have been passed onto the younger generations.

A lot of factors have summed up into why we are seeing all these things happening today, laziness, peer pressure, greed, impatience, covetousness, and many others have played a part. I kept wondering where and why things are messed up this badly but it is difficult to attach all these atrocities to one source. Evil dwells among men and it seems to me like humanity is gradually fading away, there won't be a pinch of value for life if it eventually disappears. The deed has been done, a lot of things can't be changed right now but a lot of things can be prevented from happening in the future.

It doesn't guarantee a perfect future but the world can achieve some impossible level of peace especially in countries struggling with their youth walking to the path of destruction.

Teach them the way of God.

Teaching them the way of God is one thing that we must take seriously because it can make a huge difference in the life of our children. It would help create fear in their heart that will guide them and prevent them from going astray in life.

They will be able to withstand pressure and say 'no' to things because the fear of God is in them, it gives wisdom and power to overcome the atrocities and temptation of the world.

The mistake many parents make today is waiting for a particular age before teaching their children the way of God. Every child must be taught right from childhood so that it will continue growing in them every day and when they eventually have their freedom, they will still walk in the path you have put them on.

Even the scripture says, train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ' (Prov. 22:6).

A child with the fear of God wouldn't consider cultism, he or she will distance themselves from the things that can make them a filthy rag in the presence of God.

Teach them to work for what they want in life.

Youths of today aren't just concerned about surviving anymore, they want to become the things that should take them a year in just one day.

There is no magic or shortcut to success, it is either you do it properly and enjoy everything you have worked for or bypass the process and lose it all in the twinkle of an eye. Some youths today aren't ready to go through any stress, they just want to own big cars and live recklessly and because of that, they involve themselves in lots of filthy things.

I watched a video of a young girl that escaped from the hands of some guys who wanted to use her for ritual, during an interrogation with the people who helped her, she said she was doing it for survival.

Survival? When you have a phone of over $600 on you, a wig of $200 on your head. The bag and sneakers were designers and you claim to be following men for survival, I believe she was doing it just to use the latest accessories in vogue. If it was survival then she would have sold one of the wigs or most of her things to start a small-scale business and live on it.

Another one is the story of a boy who killed a hookup girl for ritual, they met online and he persuaded her to come to spend the weekend for $100 and she came but met her death.

Her friends voiced out when they didn't see her return after the weekend and her body was found lifeless a few days after. If they are been taught to work for what they want and also in the way of God, the two of them wouldn't end up where they are today.

The guy wouldn't consider ritual to have a good life and the lady wouldn't turn prostitute just to satisfy her financial needs. Teaching kids to work is important because it can make them different in society.

There is a big bar very close to my house, I do see very young boys coming every day with exotic vehicles. I do hear the sound of them giving grand entrance to people who buy Azul, a drink that costs hundreds of thousands here in the country.

There was this particular guy who bought 30 of that drink because he was celebrating his 30th birthday, the hype man kept shouting while counting and I was wondering where he got the money and why he would spend it in such a way. He is not the first and I am not saying that he couldn't have gotten the money in the right way but if you have truly worked for your money in a country like Nigeria, you wouldn't spend millions of naira on drink in just one night.

Aside from these guys, some young girls dress almost naked just to attract guys' attention. They are sex workers and I wonder what kind of future they can build doing that kind of shit, many of them meet their death in the process.

Make them understand that the things we work for last longer than the things gotten dubiously or in a terrible way. Walking through the path might be slow but it would end in joy if we don't give up trying to be successful.

Moreover, for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? (Mark 8-36). It would be pointless inheriting the world and losing heaven.

As parents, we can be assured of having peace at the end of our lives if we have done what's right in bringing up our children. I pray that the effort of every parent does not end up in vain, amen.

Happy Sunday to my friends and family, wishing everyone a great week.

The Lead image was edited using the Canva app.