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Category: Weekend Treat

  • 10 practical ways to teach your children right values (3)

    HELP your children see that what you’re teaching them about right and wrong is not simply your own ideas, but comes from God’s Word.

    You may also want to do some Bible studies with your children, each devoted to a different Bible figure. Focus on how he or she exhibited particular character strengths when facing different circumstances and tests.

    There are certainly many Bible heroes you could discuss, but for starters, you could turn to the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) for some wonderful lessons on honesty, courage, kindness and unselfishness.

    Isaac and Rebekah’s story (Genesis 24) is ideal for teaching the virtues of kindness, hospitality and helpfulness.

    Go to the book of Ruth to read about Ruth’s loyalty and dependability towards Naomi, and the generosity and kindness of Boaz towards Ruth.

    The story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) is a sobering springboard for a discussion about honesty, and the story of the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:16-34) can teach some valuable lessons on self-control, dependability and justice.

    When you’re finished reading a Bible passage, talk with your children about specific values being taught by the story. But don’t do all the talking. Ask your children what lesson they think can be gleaned from the story. See if they think there are principles that can be applied to our lives today.

    1. Share your personal experiences

    Most of us can look back at our past and think of a lot of experiences that taught us some valuable lessons. Be willing to share some of those stories with your children, especially those that illustrate how you made choices that were consistent with good values.

    You might tell of a time when you stood up for your convictions rather than going along with the crowd, befriended a classmate at school whom everyone else was teasing, turned in a lost wallet rather than keeping the money for yourself, or worked really hard to achieve a particular goal. When you tell each story, describe why it was such a moral dilemma, how you came to make the decision you did, and how everything turned out.

    You may also want to share some stories where you made bad choices and had to learn some lessons the hard way. This is especially effective with older children, who may very well be facing similar moral struggles right now. Try to help them learn from your mistakes so that they don’t have to suffer the same consequences you did.

    1. Hold your children accountable for their mistakes

    Your children may get themselves into trouble now and then. They might break the neighbor’s window playing baseball, perform poorly on the job and get fired or disobey school rules and receive a detention.

    You may be tempted to rush in and immediately try to “make things better” for them by going to the principal and asking him to take away the detention, or by paying for the broken window yourself, but don’t. If you rescue your children every time they make a mistake, they won’t take responsibility for their actions. They need to know that bad choices result in unpleasant consequences.

    Melodie of Richardson, Texas, shares the story of when her 12-year-old son, Chas, accidentally broke his friend’s computer monitor when he tossed a metal ruler at it. “Chas was sitting in his friend’s bedroom, and playing around with the ruler like it was a paper airplane,” she recounted. She and her husband insisted on buying the family a new computer monitor, and they were going to make Chas pay for it.

  • Double CAPS: Showbiz stars who are into other ventures

    MANY of us know them for the things that made them famous. We see them as superstar singers, famous dancers, popular actors and actresses, rib-cracking comedians, top models and sports stars. But not many people know that our celebrities are masters in the game of side hustling. In addition to the stuff that brought them fame and, in some instances, fortune, these men and women have branched out of their calling to other businesses in order to make ends meet. As it is well known, being famous is a full time job, but these busy bees have made the choice to fill their timetables with even more grind. This week, let’s take a stroll through celebrity alley and see how they do their thing.

    2Face Idibia: Nigerian pop icon, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Face, owns or co-owns the hit night club Rumors, which has thriving branches in Ikeja, Festac and Victoria Island, Lagos. He’s also reputed to own choice real estate properties.

    Kate Henshaw: Henshaw is an actress, author, model, politician, real estate investor and fitness expert. Not much is known about the value of her investment but Henshaw is not one of those actresses who complain that life is hard. The smart businesswoman also converted her passion for fitness into a business, which sells her fitness routines in the form of DVDs like the “Kate Fit For Life.”

    Kanu Nwankwo: In case you are wondering how Kanu Nwankwo earns his daily bread since he stopped playing professional football years ago, do not ponder for too long. The ex-Super Eagles player is reputed to own a water bottling company (Kanu Water) and choice real estate, including one that has been in the centre of a storm for sometime, Hardley Apartments, located in Victoria Island. He also has a photo and video-editing studio in Ikeja.

    KCEE: We fell for artist Kcee’s music talents long before his company called Five Star Oil and Gas, a subsidiary of his Five Star brand, made him rich. Although it is his very popular and extremely well-off brother, E-Money, that is better known as the money man, KCEE is also a good businessman.

    Funke Akindele: Actress, director and producer Funke Akindele, popularly known as Jenifa, owns a television production outfit and co-owns a record label business named SOP Records with her husband. Funke, one of the smartest showbiz persons around, has found the right formula for making successful movies and keeping her audience intact for years.

    Emmanuel Emenike: Sources say ex-Eagles strike, Emmanuel Emenike, is a very wise investor with hands in several economic pies. Emenike also owns E-29 Records and he has been deeply investing in real estate.

    DBANJ: I’m DBANJ! The Nigerian international music superstar has business savvy. Apart from founding DB Records, Dbanj also dabbled into reality shows and has investment in agriculture. He is said to own, among others, a garri processing plant.

    Rita Dominic: In addition to films, the bold and beautiful Rita Dominic is a businesswoman.  She launched her signature hair by BK Unique Hair at Sleek Square, Victoria Island, Lagos State in 2016.

    Jim Iyke: Smart and shrewd Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke’s investment are not very well known, although he drops hints every now and then. However, Iyke, one of Nollywood’s most successful male artists, is said to own a construction company, a water bottling company, a real estate business and others.

    Annie Idibia: The gorgeous Annie Idibia runs Be Olive Hair collections where she sells human hair. She also runs a salon located in Atlanta, USA – Be Olive Hair Studio.

    Yul Edochie: Actor and politician is an efficient businessman, along with being a great actor and politician, he has set up a film academy company, which goes by the name Yul Edochie Academy.

    Yemi Alade: Alade is a commercially successful musician with as much fans in Nigeria as in other African countries. Her shows anywhere on the continent are always packed. Alade launched her jewelry line – The Yemi Alade Collection – a collection of an exclusive range of exotic costume jewelry in 2015.

    Iyabo Ojo: The actress, Iyabo Ojo, runs a well-known beauty parlour- FESPRIS World.

    Chika Ike: Besides being an actress, Chika Ike also has a reputation for being a venture capitalist. She has her hands in several pies- real estate, beauty store and boutiques to mention but a few.

    Agbani Darego: The beautiful Agbani Darego took her distinctive facial looks and offered it to the world. The 31-year-old ex-beauty queen has moved on to greater heights after winning the Miss World Beauty pageant in 2001. She has been a model for several local and international fashion brands, and in 2014 she launched her own denim range called AD by Agbani Darego-offering jeans, dresses, sunglasses and bags.

    Osita Iheme: Osita Iheme is in the hospitality business. He owns a magnificent hotel in Owerri, Imo State.

    Odunlade Adekola: Adekola is also into branching into businesses other than film acting and production. The popular Yoruba actor owns a unisex salon and boutique in Abeokuta.

    Bisi Ibidapo-Obe: Actress Bisi Ibidapo-Obe, pupolarly known as Bisi ‘Omo Logba Logba,’ owns a lingerie and sex toys shop located in Magodo.

    Mercy Aigbe: Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe owns ‘Mag Divas” boutique.

    Everyone knows Genevieve Nnaji for her acting prowess, but not so much the fact that she’s a founder of St. Genevieve clothing line, and also into the real estate sector.

    AY-Ayo Makun is one of the most enterprising and talked-about celebrity CEOs in Nigeria. From the A.Y show to A.Y’s Crib and now, he has gone out of his usual line of business to set up the first non-smoking night club in Lagos, MVP.

  • Once a wife beater, will remain a wife beater

    Recently, I visited a childhood friend.  As a matter of fact, I sometimes  write about her on this platform. No, she doesn’t mind my writing about her story, she on the contrary expects people to read and learn about life from her story. Fortunately for me, her man  does not read my column.

    I was initially surprised when she told me she had bought a house that her husband is not aware of.

    I was even more shocked when she narrated that the incident culminated in her finally leaving her home of 25 years.

    For the purpose of privacy, I will call her Priscilla. She was and still is one of those friends you could tag, “a friend in need and indeed’ loving and caring to a fault. Always putting other’s before herself and selfless to a fault.

    After our secondary school, she got pregnant and her dad not believing in female education quickly ushered her into an early marriage while the rest of us went for further studies. Priscilla went on to have three beautiful and intelligent daughters.

    Unfortunate, the man she was married to became very abusive from day one. He beat her up at the slightest provocation. He would  punch and kick to the point where neighbours would intervene. Perhaps, beating her might not be news, what was really news was the reason for which he was beating her. On one of the occasions while he was beating her, right in our presence, he kept asking why she kept giving him female children. Laughable,  right? I think so too. This went on for years until he got promoted and transferred  to work in Abuja. He called us all for a meeting- friends and  family members. There we were thinking he had one important thing to tell us. He opened his mouth to tell us he was relocating to Abuja following his promotion and to our chagrin, he said he was done with the marriage. He went on you remind us all that Priscilla was not his wife, that he was just the mother of his children.

    We pleaded with him reminding him that they had been together for a while and ought to be together, at least for the sake of the children. All our pleas fell on deaf ears. We however had to forcefully take out our friend out of a home she has known and groomed for almost a decade amidst tears when he asked us to choose between taking  her out alive or dead.

    I will not bore you with details of how she suffered and changed homes because friends could not afford so much. I will not tell you how her husband moved on to Abuja to start a fresh life with different kinds of women.

    I will also not tell you how he went us to plan to take a second wife and had a near fatal accident on his way. My friend on her part found an angel disguised as a man who came into her life  , ensured she wrote her GCE, went on to secure her an admission at the University of Lagos.

    I’m still not going to tell you how she was in her 300 level when the husband came begging with his family members, asking her to take him back.

    I will however tell you how we , her friends, followed the Nigerian factor and convinced her to take him back and abandon the angel- the  man that came into her life to change it for the better.  For the kids, we all chorused. You can’t just leave them for another woman to raise.

    Fast forward to today. After Priscilla moved back in , she was smart enough to ensure all marriage rites were fulfilled. But the beating continued. He would beat her  and then plead that it was the devil’s work. Her first daughter is medical doctor and  the second a barrister. The third child  is still in school.

    She said the last straw that made her move to her new home was an incident that occurred few weeks back. The medical doctor, her eldest daughter is planning her introduction to a fellow doctor. In the course of planning for this, a little argument occurred between my friend and her husband who  slapped her mercilessly! When Priscilla tried to tell him to take it easy, he further descended on her and slapped like a baby. Pushed to the wall, our friend impulsively returned the slap. At this point neighbours had started gathering and were able to calm the impending storm.

    She left finally with a promise never to go back knowing that the beating would never stop. She left convinced  for the first time, that she did the right thing. No consultations. Nothing. As I write this piece, I am in her home instead of a hotel, and I have never seen her so her happy and at peace

    From inbox

    Dear Isioma

    Re: Love…

    I was once in love and I think at some point I lost control. She later broke my heart but I have moved on. Why brood. I’m better now. I’m wiser now.

    Travis, PH

    Dear Isioma,

    Love is something that you can’t choose. Men and women go the extra mile. Bottom line is do not take each other for granted.

    Mercy Ekenobi

    Unilag

    Dear Isioma,

    You are not picking calls. I think you should because somethings may be better verbalised. Please pick.

    Zainab, Abuja

    Hello Zainab,

    The number is for SMS only.  I will text  my number to you

  • Four red flags to watch out for in a relationship

    When a relationship is doing more harm to you than good, it’s time to quit it. Here are four signs to help you determine when a relationship is doing more harm to you than good.

    Abuse

    Be it physical or emotional abuse, any type of abuse is a glaring sign that you should quit the relationship. Please don’t be lenient with abuse or make excuses for it; simply let go and move on because abuse is one of the clearest ways to communicate a lack of care, love and respect for someone. Abuse does not go hand in hand with love, if anything they are polar opposites.

    Although, one thing to note here is that emotional abuse is more relative than physical abuse. For instance, there is arguably a degree of emotional abuse in every relationship. When you try to control your partner or influence them emotionally to act or behave in a certain way, by ignoring them (ignoring their calls, messages etc), refusing to talk to them (the silent treatment), being provocative with the other sex (trying to make them jealous) and so on, to a degree that’s emotional abuse. These are all elements of emotional abuse that are born from the very fair fact that we are human. But when emotional abuse becomes dangerous, is when you begin to lose your confidence and live in fear of what your partner is going to do to you next emotionally.

    Read Also: Six surefire ways to deal with a jealous partner

    Lies

    If anyone you are in a relationship with, be it a romantic relationship or a friendship, constantly lies to you or finds it difficult to tell you the truth, it communicates a lack of trust and a lack of respect for you. If you can’t trust the person(s) you are in a relationship with, things remain unsettled. Such lack of trust can lead to paranoia (an intense feeling of anxiety, fear and unrest) for you, which is very unhealthy. Without trust, there is no point remaining in the relationship and continuing to torture yourself emotionally.

    They never admit their faults

    This is one thing most people ignore as a red flag in a relationship, probably because they don’t understand just how important it is.

    When someone finds it difficult to admit they are wrong, the next thing they do is pass the blame. Now when you are constantly at the receiving end of the blame, even if you are fine with constantly saying you are sorry, you allow what is called a “cognitive dissonance” to be formed in your mind. This means that as you continuously act in a way that contradicts your beliefs, eventually your beliefs will change to align with your actions. In other words, after a while you will begin to believe you are the one who is always wrong and start to doubt your ability to perceive what’s right and wrong. Eventually, it ends up affecting your ability to make decisions and be assertive as individual, and you end up constantly feeling confused, having lost confidence in yourself and abilities. It’s truly a terrible place to be, so please don’t let any relationship take you there.

    Constant feeling of being overwhelmed

    When you constantly feel overwhelmed by your relationship, almost like you can’t get a break; when you look back and can’t remember any significantly joyful memory in your relationship, you should acknowledge that it is abnormal.

    As much as a relationship can at times bring you sadness, it should also bring you joy. If all you can remember when you think back on you relationship, is a long thick dark tiring stretch of fights, pain and sadness, with little or no joy, that’s not appropriate. Relationships may not generally be very easy but they should not suck the life out of you, leaving you miserable and unhappy.

  • ‘My husband takes care of his Mother than our kids’

    ‘My husband takes care of his Mother than our kids’

    A mother of two has taken to social media to lament how her husband takes care of his mother than their children.

    She said:

    I don’t know if i am the one taking this issue so important, I have been married for four years now with two kids, now this is the issue…when i met my husband, we court for two years  before we got married, when we just met, I noticed he doesn’t use to go see his parent, I asked him why, he said his mom’s wahala is too much, I told him his mother would always remain his mom and i took him back home and he reunited with his family.

    Since we got married i now understand why my husband ran away from his mom, my Mother in-law use to consume money like hubby is plucking it on the tree, my hubby use to take care of his mom, dad, and siblings very well that he bought a trailer for his dad for 7million naira, he paid 2m and they said he should be paying d rest instalmentally ,so my FIL flew away with this for good 2yrs wen their agreement is that he should be working with this trailer and be giving this people the money gradually and still feed d home without them disturbing their son for money again.

    Read Also: ‘I love my husband beating me, I enjoy seeing him angry‘

    my mother inlaw works, and she is collecting salary ,but if their cooking gas got finished, they will call hubby to come fill it, he is the one paying their rent, paying two siblings school fee at d university ,now I don’t enjoy my husband’s money, he gives to his mom than me and my kids. i have called him severally abt this thatt where those he expect me to get money from to take care of the kids,d home nd myself,he still gives us money but not compared to how his mom use to collect huge amount from him every week, i sold some of my belongings recently because my husband was so broke and he said after he gets money he will get them back for me. my husband is owing me close to 1m wen i was working, now he is not talking about d money which is not even my own issue but ds tins i sold are important to me cos my wedding ring is part of it, two days ago, my husband sent his mom 200k wen my own things have gone, like i dnt get,i asked him ,he said he has to sort his mom first like i dont get o. This s woman can’t borrow herson 10k wen we had problems, this woman didn’t come to check her son at d cell for good 11days he was at d police custody for a case he doesnt knw anytin abt ,myself and my own family stood up for him ,spent money and my mother in law said she doesnt av any money.

    Please what should I do?

     

    Credit: BOM

  • ‘I have a child for my cousin, am I cursed?’

    A Nigerian lady who pleaded anonymity has taken to Instagram to share how she lost her relationship due to ”sincerity”.

    According to her, she told her boyfriend who she met last year about an ugly past of hers because he claimed to love her for she was and not what she had been through.

    The lady revealed to her boyfriend how she was raped by her cousin as a teenager.

    She said: “I met a guy last year and he wanted getting married to me this year because he had already started visiting my house.

    “I decided to be sincere with him and not hide anything from him.

    “This year I told him about my past which no one else knows apart from my family (I was raped by my cousin when I was a teenager and I had a baby through that)

    “Immediately I told him, at first he had no problem with it because he claimed he loves who I am not what I am.

    “Eventually, he told his siblings and uncles about it. They refused our being together saying that I committed a taboo and that I am cursed and needs cleansing etc.

    “My boyfriend agreed with his people and couldn’t fight for us.

    “He broke up with me and stopped chatting or even calling.

    “I call him he won’t pick up. I once knelt done to beg him but he gave me a deaf ear saying his uncles refused and that he cannot do anything about that.

    “Please, I need advice on what to do. I’m I really cursed?’”

     

     

    Source BOM

  • 12 signs he loves you even when he doesn’t say it

    THIS is a question that a lot of ladies are actually going to struggle in especially when they find themselves in the early stages of a young relationship. How does your man really feel about being with you?

    Sure, things might be going really well between the two of you for the moment, but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to be keeping this question at the back of your mind. Just because you’re really enjoying the time that you spend together doesn’t automatically mean that you know that your man is in love with you. So, how can you know for sure short of trying to force him out of him?

    Well, it’s all in the way he acts whenever he’s around you. You just have to make sure that you are looking in all of the right places.

    Keep in mind that verbal communication isn’t traditionally going to be a man’s strong suit. He isn’t always going to find it easy to talk about his feelings for you even when he starts getting really comfortable in the relationship. And that might be a problem for you if you want to know how he feels but you don’t know how to read body language signs.

    Well, that’s what this article is going to try to help you out with. You don’t have to be completely clueless about whether a man is in love with you or not. You just need to keep an eagle eye on your relationship and fish out all of the probable signs that point to him being in love with you.

    If he does a lot of the things that are listed here, then you must be happy to know that you have a man who is really in love with you.

    1. He makes plans in the relationship

    He isn’t going to just wait around for you to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the relationship. He’s also going to do his part in taking the initiative to strengthen your relationship even more.

    1. He always treats you with respect

    He always makes it a point to treat you with respect. He never really does or says anything that demeans or belittles you. He never wants you to feel like you are less of a person than you really are.

    1. He makes an effort to listen to you

    Whenever you express a desire to talk to him, he really makes sure to listen to you. He pays attention to whatever you might have to say. He always wants you to feel safe in how you express yourself.

    1. He moves his schedule around for you

    He really tries to move his schedule around so that he can accommodate you into his life. He never wants to come off as unapproachable or inaccessible to you. He wants to be as available to you as possible.

    1. He takes a genuine interest in your life

    He doesn’t stop asking you questions about your life. He is always making a real effort to get to know you better. And he isn’t just settling for the shallow stuff either.

    1. He always stays honest and true with you

    He always stays honest and true with you. He never wants to be anyone other than who he really is when it comes to you. He always wants you to know that you can trust him to keep things real and sincere with you at all times.

    1. He encourages you to pursue your goals and dreams

    He makes it clear to you that you can always pursue your goals and dreams even if you’re in a relationship together. He never wants to serve as a kind of barrier between you and everything that you want in life.

    1. He apologizes whenever he screws up

    He is humble enough to acknowledge that he makes mistakes and he shows the mindfulness to actually apologize for hurting you or being a disservice to you. And he also makes an effort to learn from his mistakes.

    1. He makes an effort to merge social circles with you

    He really makes it a point to merge your social circles. He does this because he understands just how important it is to you that he becomes close with the people who are closest to your heart.

    1. He opens up to you about his fears and insecurities

    He really opens up to you about things that he wouldn’t really open up to other people about. He tells you about all of his deepest fears and insecurities without fear or shame.

    1. He shows a willingness to make compromises with you

    He shows a real willingness to compromise with you. He wants to prove to you that he’s willing to make adjustments so that he can meet you halfway and keep you in his life.

    1. He places his trust in you

    He places his trust in you at all times. He never wants you to feel like he has to control or manage you.

     

    • Source: www.loveprob.com

  • Politics: The showbiz BRIGADE

    THE Nigerian politics scene is home to some of the nation’s most successful celebrities. Whether they are appointed government officials or elected office holders, these celeb politicians seem to wear the two hats well. These celebrities used their superstar status to jump-start their political careers.

    While Nollywood star Desmond Elliot may be quite popular as a politician, especially in Lagos, he is not the only celebrity in the rough and tumble world of Nigerian politics.

    There are several other famous faces who have campaigned and still campaigning for political positions.

    Unlike their lesser-known contemporaries in politics, these celebs come to office with much swag and popularity. They are already present on people’s radar. With strong social media presence, they come across as likeable, familiar and trustworthy.

    The masses feel like they know them better and are already friends with them. With a penchant for attention and widespread name recognition, celebrities have a unique advantage in politics, where simply getting noticed is the first step towards winning a political campaign.

    From Desmond Elliot, Femi Adebayo, Ini Edo, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Kenneth Okonkwo, Kate Henshaw, Yul Edochie, RMD, Nkiru Sylvanus, Rotimi Makinde, Aina Gold, Banky W, Hilda Dokubo to Dayo Adeneye-D1, the number of celebs in politics is likely to become bigger and bigger as the nation advance in democracy.

    Meanwhile, we invite you to join the discourse by finding an answer to this question: why do you think so many celebs are opting for politics? Share your thoughts in the comments section-Online.

  • 10 practical ways to teach your children right values (2)

    OF COURSE, everyone falls short now and then. Maybe you had to cancel the trip to the zoo because you hadn’t really thought through all the other things you had to do that week. Acknowledge to your children that dependability—or whatever character quality trait you failed to live up to—is still important to you. Otherwise, they may get the idea that the reason you didn’t say or do certain things is because these things really don’t matter that much to you.

    1. Apologize to your children when you make mistakes

    When you fall short with your children, not only do you need to acknowledge your mistake, you also need to tell them you’re sorry. This shows them that you value and respect their thoughts, perspectives and feelings. You’re also modeling an important way to show respect to others, and how to accept responsibility for your mistakes.

    It’s a lesson Janet of Oakland, California, had to learn one day. “I had just found out that the car repair I thought was going to cost $200 was going to be $2,000 and I was really upset,” Janet related. “Then my daughter came home from school and told me she got a failing grade on her math quiz. That was it. I started screaming at her and sent her up to her room.”

    A few minutes later, Janet felt horrible. She knew she had overreacted and taken her frustrations out on her daughter. She also knew she needed to apologize. “I’m sorry,” Janet told her daughter. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did.” Her daughter’s look of relief told Janet she’d done the right thing.

    Several days later, Janet’s daughter was playing a board game with her brother. When she started losing, she threw the game board into the air and stormed out of the room. Several minutes later she reappeared to tell her brother she was sorry. “I don’t know if she would have been so quick to apologize if I hadn’t apologized to her a few days earlier,” says Janet.

    When you apologize to your children, you instill a desire in them to do the same when they make mistakes.

    1. Use every day experiences as a springboard for conversation

    Almost every day something happens that can provide you with an opportunity to teach your children about values. Use these incidents as conversation starters. It could be an incident you hear about in the news, something you or your children do or something you and they observe someone else do. These can make great on-the-spot lessons.

    If you read an article in the newspaper about someone’s heroic deed, you might ask your children, “What would you have done if you had been in the same situation?”

    If you’re waiting in a long line at the post office with your kids and you observe a customer and the clerk arguing with each other, afterwards you could say to your children, “What did you think about the way that customer talked to the postal clerk?” Try to ask open-ended questions that will get them thinking about values.

    You will find a lot to comment on within your family. For example, let’s say you overhear your daughter teasing your son about his new haircut. This can be a natural transition into having a discussion with your daughter about the values of kindness and respect.

    If your children are with you at the grocery store and the cashier hands you a $10 bill for change when it should have been a $1 bill and you let him or her know, that’s the ideal time to discuss the value of honesty.

    Even if you’re not always the best example, you can use that to tell your children, “Well, I shouldn’t have gotten so upset when that other driver took my parking space.” True, it might sound a little awkward at first to have these kinds of conversations. However, the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.

    1. Read the Bible with your children

    Plan some Bible studies with your children, each exploring a different moral virtue. You might do a study one week on honesty or gratitude, and then the next week read what Scripture has to say on compassion, gentleness or generosity.

    •Source:www.ucg.org

    •Continued Next Week

  • Do you spend more on your car or wife?

    RECENTLY, a close neighbour of ours could not wait to show us his new car. “Come Madam,” he said, “I want to show you something”. As I followed him, he took me straight to the car park, pointing towards the car. I must admit the car was quite a very clean one, but it was not the car that got the better part of my attention; it was the excitement on his face. He just could not hide it. He was beaming from ear to ear. Just by looking at his face, you could tell that the car was just his dream come true.  Just as we were still admiring the car, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. In all my years on planet earth, never have I seen a man this happy or excited showing off his wife and I am like, what is it with men and cars. Are wives not supposed to be prized far above rubies (the virtous ones, I mean)? I do not think it is fair to us woman, if a mere car should get more attention from the man then us.

    A cousin of mine claims that her man spends a fortune to maintain his cars, but when she dares to ask for an increment in her allowances, he questions her and then complains that the economy is bad. Call this a protest if you like, but some wives simply can’t recall the last time their man showed them off to either friends or co-workers. In order, not to be seen as one-sided, I decided to speak with some respondents on why the wife and the car have to be in competition in the first place. Their responses are as varied as their names and faces are.

    Sola: “I don’t know, I have never really thought about it. I think I spend more money on my wife. In my opinion, I feel a woman is more expensive than a car, although in a way, a wife is comparable to a car because she is something you acquired and then you are under obligation to take care of her. Your wife is a part of your life and often times you are more conscious of your wife than your car”.

    Yemi: “My wife is far more useful to me than my car. You see, I can afford to park my car, if it will make my wife happy because before the car came, my wife had been there, and after the car, my wife will still be there. So in the light of this, I would rather pay more attention or spend more on my wife than my car.

    Muyiwa: “My wife comes before the car. The reason is that if I don’t maintain my wife, she would not last in my house. I can afford to buy a car today and discard it tomorrow, but I cannot do same with my wife.

    In the first instance, my wife is a human being, and, as such, he is far more valuable than my car; although on the other hand, one needs to maintain the car to keep the family mobile”.

    Ben: “My wife will kill me, if she reads this, but faithfully speaking, I spend more money on my car than I do on my wife. The car is also meant to ease her outings and the kids. Instead of her hopping from one bus to the other, the car will be a better deal for the whole family.

    Leke: “In fact, one’s car is considered to be person’s first wife. For instance, if one is always seen with a car and he is suddenly seen trekking, the first thing he will be asked is about his car and perhaps later his wife. When a car breaks down, one cannot afford to leave or dump it, even if there is no money, one must borrow to get the car back on the road.