Empower the boy child by inspiring him
What you need to know:
- According to some of these “experts”, the upbringing of children has been left to mothers and house helps and this is working to the boys’ disadvantage.
- Parents do not encourage boys to pursue education. Instead, they purchase motorbikes for their young sons to operate as boda bodas.
- Values and a sense of character can be effectively impressed upon a young mind through teaching, explaining, and demonstrating. In this way, we can impart to a young man the true nature of manhood.
If recent reports are to be believed, Kenya’s young men are now the weaker sex. We are being told that girls are now the “stronger sex”, not afraid to take on challenges and jobs initially meant for boys, that girls are increasingly becoming more active on the playground and more aggressive in work places, pushing boys to the sidelines.
These reports have elicited sneers and scorn from some members of the female gender. Today’s young men are even being referred to as “Blue Band boys” who have become increasingly spineless, lazy, and ambitionless as girls soar, taking over classrooms and workplaces.
Interestingly, some so-called experts seem to be agreeing with this school of thought. They are even going further and attributing this sorry state of affairs to increased focus on the empowerment of the girl child at the expense of boys.
According to some of these “experts”, the upbringing of children has been left to mothers and house helps and this is working to the boys’ disadvantage.
They are telling us that if a boy is exposed to feminine behaviour, where he tags along after his mother or house helps, he is likely to exhibit feminine behaviour.
The truth of the matter is that the current crisis facing the boy child is a national one and has nothing to do with whether he was brought up by a single parent or not.
We are having a parenting crisis in that those responsible for bringing up children are the main perpetrators of the woes facing today’s young men.
HAWKING BUSINESS
Parents do not encourage boys to pursue education. Instead, they purchase motorbikes for their young sons to operate as boda bodas. Others give them capital to start hawking businesses. The result is that the number of boys in schools is declining.
To complicate matters even more, fathers in some regions encourage their sons to drink with them when they are still young. Such men expose their sons to alcohol abuse and encourage them to become irresponsible.
It is also instructive that in some places, fewer boys than girls are transitioning to secondary school. This has led to the current situation where there are more women in the education sector than men. In 2014, there were 47,701 female headteachers and only 31,018 males.
Human resource practitioners have noticed that there is an emerging trend of more female applicants for certain professional jobs.
The end result is that the boys are becoming increasingly troubled. Instead of ridiculing the boy child, the society should try to rescue him.
Values and a sense of character can be effectively impressed upon a young mind through teaching, explaining, and demonstrating. In this way, we can impart to a young man the true nature of manhood.
Schools, churches, and other religious institutions need to target programmes that focus on mentoring the boy child. Boys need to feel that society is ready and willing to address their needs.
In this way, we can raise a generation with less crime, violence, and drug and alcohol abuse. Empower the boy child and we will see a decrease in all these vices, maybe even the return of chivalry.
Kimani Njuguna reaches in Gatundu South, Kiambu County. [email protected]
