Professor Yayra Bonney, a Counsellor, has emphasized the importance of godly parenting in shaping the lives of children. Speaking at the Global Evangelical Church, Accra Presbytery Women’s Ministry Rally 2026, she urged parents to devote quality time to their children and provide intentional guidance to help them grow into responsible adults. This approach, she stressed, was crucial in helping children develop into individuals who could contribute positively to society.
According to Prof. Bonney, children often understand love through the time parents spend with them, rather than material provisions. She noted that providing children’s material needs alone did not constitute effective parenting. Instead, parents needed to spend time with their children, understand their needs, and guide them towards making responsible choices. This approach would help children develop a sense of responsibility and make informed decisions.
Prof. Bonney highlighted the importance of discipline in child upbringing. She cautioned that parents should not leave children without direction while they concentrated on making money and meeting their material needs. With increasing social and economic pressures, some parents had limited time for their children, making it necessary for them to become more intentional about parenting. By combining love, discipline, and guidance, parents could help their children develop into responsible individuals.
The Counsellor urged parents to teach their children Christian values from an early age and guide them to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. She encouraged parents to teach children modesty in their dressing, use of money, and acquisition of material possessions. This approach would help children understand the value of responsible financial habits and appreciate modesty.
Prof. Bonney questioned the practice of providing children with expensive items beyond their needs. She noted that such practices could make it difficult for children to appreciate modesty and responsible financial habits. Instead, parents should teach children to live within their means and understand that there were appropriate stages in life for acquiring certain possessions.
Prof. Bonney also emphasized the importance of prayer in child upbringing. She urged parents to pray for their children, pray with them, and teach them how to develop their own prayer lives as part of their spiritual upbringing. By doing so, parents could help their children develop a strong spiritual foundation.
The Counsellor called for collective responsibility in raising children, saying parents and the wider community needed to work together and remain attentive to children’s needs. She urged mothers to recognise the importance of their role in shaping the character, values, and spiritual lives of their children. By working together, parents and the community could help children develop into responsible individuals who could contribute positively to society.
Key points
- Professor Yayra Bonney emphasizes the importance of quality time in parenting
- Discipline and guidance are crucial in child upbringing
- Collective responsibility is necessary in raising children
