The evolution of motherhood through the eyes of Nakuru mums
60-year-old Philipine Tele, a mother of four in Nakuru city says motherhood has significantly changed over time.
“Kuja hapa na nisikuambie tena,” were some of the scariest words we could hear from our mothers because we knew the flogging that would come after that statement was one for the books.
Well, as we celebrate Mother's Day today, we are looking at how mothers have changed parenting styles between the older and new generation.
60-year-old Philipine Tele, says in the earlier years it was the responsibility of a mother to ensure the children were fed well and were brought up with the right morals.
"As a mother, society viewed mothers as bad mothers if the children were not well-behaved or disciplined, even in a household where both parents were present. It was all blamed on the mother," she says.
Ms. Tele highlights flogging was a must in any home to instil discipline.
She adds that disciplining a child was a communal affair where everyone was involved unlike today where you cannot afford to cane your neighbour's child.
Ms Tele adds that it is believed most mothers from her generation were emotionally distant or didn't sit down to have conversations with their children like the modern-day mothers.
“The mothers were like that because they gave birth to many children, unlike modern-day mothers which made them very tired.”
Despite this, she says most families would gather for storytelling sessions which were filled with joy and laughter as that's how most families bonded.
32-year-old Maureen Rop, a mother of one in Nakuru city agrees that modern parenting is different from that of previous generations.
Maureen Rop is a millennial mother of an eight-month-old baby and agrees that there has been a huge change in the way mothers raise their children.
She says that millennials tend to behave differently than the other generation of moms. Millennial moms are more doting and will shy away from flogging their children.
“Perhaps, some of us recognize how ineffective spanking and flogging was and so we don’t do that,” she notes.
Ms Rop however highlights the importance of disciplining the children adding that discipline might not necessarily mean spanking.
“The modern mother is also exposed to knowledge in the wake of social media and therefore begins the motherhood journey well-informed, unlike the older generation.”
She adds that the millennial moms don't necessarily have to stay at home after giving birth unlike the older generation moms since they also go back to work after maternity leave.
The 32-year-old concludes that it's important for moms to raise their children the best way they know without caving into the pressure of society, by knowing what to take and what to drop from previous generations.