Give Children Emotional Support to Thrive — Parents Urged

A Child and Family Development Advocate, Mrs. Patience Antonio, has expressed concern over the growing number of children in Ghana who are being deprived of the emotional support necessary for healthy growth and development.

While parents often focus on providing food, shelter, and education, Mrs. Antonio warns that many overlook the equally crucial need to nurture their children’s emotional wellbeing.

“This worrying trend is leaving many children wounded on the inside, growing up hurt, insecure, and unstable,” she said in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week.

The Importance of Emotional Support

According to Mrs. Antonio, emotional neglect can have lasting consequences. Children between the ages of nine and twelve begin to form their identity, question authority, and require guidance. Without emotional affirmation, they may become rebellious, develop low self-esteem, or fall prey to negative influences.

She noted that modern parenting often involves outsourcing responsibilities to schools, house helps, or relatives, who may lack strong emotional connections or value-based guidance.

“We are feeding children and sending them to good schools, but we don’t talk to them. We don’t listen. We don’t affirm them. Many children are crying silently.”

Long-Term Consequences

Mrs. Antonio explained that a lack of emotional support during childhood often leads to challenges in adulthood, including:

• Difficulty building healthy relationships
• Low self-worth and self-esteem
• Aggressive behavior and emotional imbalance
• Career and marital challenges

She emphasized that providing emotional support is as important as meeting children’s physical needs.

Call for Nationwide Action

To address this growing concern, Mrs. Antonio called for nationwide conversations on parenting, emotional wellness, and child psychology. She stressed that raising emotionally healthy children today is essential for building a better and more stable society tomorrow.

“If we want a better society tomorrow, we must raise emotionally healthy children today,” she concluded.

Spectator
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