Of Cell Phones in Schools

Cell phones are such great inventions. We have all types to choose from-Samsung and i Phones and the likes. Many families use them and they are good for easy communication. Shortly after their inception, some families started purchasing them for use by their children. The excuse was that they needed easy access to their children. Terrific. 

It sounds okay that students and parents be in direct communication so they can keep in touch. The problem in schools though, especially in middle and high schools, is that students bring their cell phones into the classroom. They carry these around even when lessons are going on. This constitutes a huge distraction to such students. What actually happens is that a sizable number of students turn their cell phones on and use them to chat, or text friends even when classes are in session. How can serious studies take place under this situation when such culprits switch between class lessons/work and their cell phones? 

Apart from the culprits, the use of cell phones is a distraction to other students who want to learn.  Many students who do not do well in class fall under the category of cell phone users. Some are even audacious to refuse to put away their phones when requested by their teachers. Such gross disobedience, if not addressed and curtailed, would lead to further drop in test scores. More and more students are becoming addicted to their cell phones and the number of students who carry their cell phones into the class increases by the day. 

This is gradually turning into a national crisis. Serious conversations should be held between the parent/teacher associations as to which way forward. Previous to students being permitted to bring cell phones into the class, what obtained years back was that students were allowed when they request to use the main office, counselors' phones, or their teachers' class phones to communicate with parents. At that time, more sanity reigned in the classrooms because cell phones were not permitted. However, some defenders of cell phone use by students in school say students can use their cell phones to access the internet to conduct research and class work. That is not a good excuse because there are computers in many classrooms in school, plus the library, technology labs, where students can do research. If the school board steps in to ban the use of cell phones in schools, they will be amazed at how this act will positively affect students' behavior, as well as test scores.  I hope that parents too join hands to advocate to support this measure.

Of Baby Mama Syndrome

I often wonder how wonderful it is of God to have created men and women. Such thoughtfulness that went into that creation, because it takes both to start a family. Women have such trustful and caring natures that help them nurture humanity, especially children, to growth and development. Many fathers on their part are generally good protectors and providers. No wonder many girls love and trust their dads for protection and provision, and many times that trust is transferred to any man that later come into their lives.

The truth of the matter is that certain men could take advantage of such gullible girls, whom they sometimes put into the family way, under the pretext that marriage lurks around the corner. Those promised marriages often do not materialize over time, because those promises are mostly built on falsehoods. Likewise, some women too purposely get pregnant, so as to trick certain men into marrying them. Such women either desperately want to answer married, or are looking for men who they can hold responsible to pay child support-in other words, they are looking for someone to be their meal tickets. Many times too, such ambitions never come to fruition. The result is that these women remain as single mothers, now nick-named baby mamas.

Every woman should know that she deserves better, and should bargain better so as not to subject herself as a prey to such predators. Neither should any man let himself be tricked into being a baby daddy to any woman. For both sexes, baby children would not occur if we all observe what is called abstinence. We should never commence on any job we cannot finish. If she is not good enough for you to marry, don't go into any form of a pretentious relationship with her and vice versa. When we do, the resultant effect is the ton of single families we see today. 

The effect of this insanity-many children who run the streets. Another result is the number of children who drop out of school. Yet still, in schools, children who are problematic mostly come from single parents. It is very challenging for a couple to raise children, talk less when it is done by one parent. That one parent is too stretched with work, obligations, etc to have enough time to cater and supervise the children. The worst of all is that many times, the children of baby mamas grow up to be baby mamas, or baby daddies. What else does one expect, after all, they learn from their surroundings, and don't forget that a fruit does not fall far from the tree.

When will this madness stop? It will begin to abate when parents empower their children by explaining to them that it is not good to have sex before marriage. This situation can be arrested when sons and daughters are taught that they are complete on their own and do not need any one outside of themselves to complete them. When boys and girls are encouraged to remain in school, and trained to obtain job skills that can make them sustainable, can this issue be gradually contained.  When a girl learns job skills and gets a sustainable job, she will have little desire to trick a man into being a baby daddy. If young men and women are taught to marry when they should, and stay married with their partners, can sanity begin to return to the world. Jumping in and out from one sexual partner in and outside of marriage should be a no no to everyone.

Men and women, you are worth better. You have to take your destinies into your own hands because baby mama, or baby daddy is no way to go.

Back to Stay

Hello! 



I am back to stay. Been gone from posting for a while now and 


intend to put up posts weekly. I am excited to be back. Please 


stay tuned.

Of Promiscuity or Open Marriage?

If I still recall, promiscuity is the practice of sampling different sexual partners. Open marriage as is described, is the agreement of a couple to go outside of their marriage to get sexual gratification. In effect, it means that they agree to be sexually promiscuous. 

Isn't marriage still what it is supposed to be, where both partners sign to be faithful to each other? If that is the case, why will people who claim to be in matrimony, roam around, practicing sexual promiscuity? Yet, we wonder, or question, why many young people are getting promiscuous  these days. We don't need to look far to find part of the answer. The truth is that when mother goat is chewing the chord, daughter goat is watching. 

We have to be careful about our actions because it could be infectious; the reality is that the youths are watching. Isn't it about time we restore the institution of marriage back to its pedestal, and not make nonsense of it? We must not trash fidelity because society has a lot to lose for it.

Could it be for keeps?

It is uncommon to find marriages that have lasted over the years. No wonder I was delighted to watch Mr and Mrs Jimmy Carter on the Piers Morgan show talk about their marriage. Their marriage, like all marriages, has had its ups and downs, that regardless, it has lasted for about 65 years, and is still continuous. Not many people can boast of such achievement. Sixty five whooping years, some might ask, how can two people be faithful to each other for those number of years?

I have seen and read about other marriages that start off well, but many times drift off. When you ask those in such marriages, they state that along the way, they fell out of love with their partners. For others, they claim that they drifted apart. Each couple's story is usually different from the other. For long marital partners, what they try to do is to give each other the benefit of the doubt. They sometimes laugh off one another's weaknesses, nudge some erring partner back on course, counsel or ignore the other's lapses, at certain times, fall out on issues, but later on, paddle back, bandage the relationship, and glue tearing portions back with super glue. Mr and Mrs Carter stated that they have learned how to give each other space because apparently, being married does not mean that one has to wear one's partner around like a band. Apart from Mr and Mrs Carter, others with lasting marriages are couples like, Queen Elizabeth the second of England and Prince Philip. The late Bob Hope was married to his wife for over 60 years.

In many countries in Africa, many marriages last till death do the partners part. In fact, tons of couples have celebrated their silver. golden and diamond jubilees. Lasting marriages make us different from other animals who change partners at will. Long lasting marriages are usually celebrated and such partners not only act as role models to younger ones, but direct and shepherd others in their marital ventures. 

The final and most important thing that makes marriages last is the glue that holds all marriages together-God. Bring Him into your marriage by praying daily together, using the holy family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus as your role model, and vowing to stay together through thick and thin. Not letting any one to come between you and your partner is key, for after all it is written in the bible, "That what God has joined together, let no man put asunder".

The little things we forget to do

We get so busy every day, that we forget to appreciate the world around us. We wake up each day running to accomplish this and that. Many times, we get so consumed with chores, that we do not remember to relax a bit.

From our door steps to the road, down to our work places and beyond, there are assorted things that exist to delight the senses. In Spring, we have the plants struggling to bud. You watch them develop one leaf, then two, but again comes the cold weather, that wipes them away. Later, the weather warms up and more leaves try to sprout, and as the Spring showers and sun serenade them, they are nudged into existence. Later, as if in a hurry, every tree is filled with joy and laughter, as their fastly developed, luscious leaves, seem to mock the disappearing Winter. The squirrels run around, and unabashedly flirt with the acorns, in the full glare of all.

Then creepily struts in Summer, initially, with some mild sunshine, till  with its scorching sun, it takes dominance over Spring. Children sing and play, adults alike dress skimpily, each trying to outdo the other in the pools. Barbecue smells fill the air with such aromatic arrogance. Wedding bells chime endlessly, with such deafening noise. Vacation bells ring, as travel agencies and tour guides  have their field days filling their pockets with their spoils. Alas, Fall sneaks in through the back door and scatters it all, sending leaves and twigs floating in the air. Take it easy, we all seem to say, don't take our fun away. As the argument rages, Grandpa Winter comes in, all wrapped in white robes of snow. It sends everyone running for cover beneath their winter coats.   

OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE

No human being can remember the day he or she was born. One day, we came into the world, took our first gulps of air, and cried in protest of being born into this world without our permission. We did not choose to be born by any particular parent, or into any nation or race; yet we were born. That regardless, we were born into the world for a purpose. That is why it is an effort in futility, to be pompous, or resentful about any situation we find ourselves in, in life.

Every human being is here to make a difference to this world, in a similar way that every living thing that makes up the food chain helps to sustain the universe. We just need to stop and  reflect, to find out what void we are born to fill, whose lives we are born to touch, what innovations we are born to make, or what good role models we are born to be.  Since we are born to higher expectations, which comes with accountability, we cannot fail to accomplish what our purpose is in life. That purpose in life should and must be positive, in order to balance out the cosmos. If you listen to the melodious singing of birds, any one of them that chimes out of tune, creates a discordance to the melody, so it is with us humans, especially when we fail to contribute, or perhaps, abuse the purpose we are created to impact.

Some might say that since their childhood, they have been suffering, so what purpose does their life serve? The purpose might be that of being a good role model to others, by showing that you are daily striving with contentment, to exist with the little you have, could be a motivator to other disadvantaged, or would soon be disadvantaged, that it does not take wealth to achieve happiness. To another who is wealthy, his purpose could be to use his wealth to foster peace and happiness among others who are not so lucky, not to forment trouble. To an employer of  labor,  his purpose in life could be, to make the working conditions of his employees better, not to take advantage of them. To the worker, his purpose could be not to take advantage of his employer,  but to strive every day to put in a good days work, for a good days pay.

If everyone does his bit, the world would be in harmony-orderly, and the forms of disorderliness that are steadily taking root, would gradually be stamped out. It is then, and only then will we have the type of peaceful world we deserve. Please do reflect and act on this. Do your bit to make the world a better place.