Children model their parents’ actions

By Ilia L Likou 23 November 2017, 12:00AM

Meet Meafou Mariota from Pata, Falelatai.

Meafou is a mother of four and she believes hard work is the real essence of great things. 

And to spread that belief to ensure that when her children grow up, they will not take the wrong path in life, she is setting a good example for them.

The forty-three year old mother believes in hard work.

“We have our own plantation to rely on, and many of our family work to provide for our financial needs,” Meafou said.

“Most days, I go to the plantation and plant crops and vegetables for our family. We all know that nothing comes easy.

“Especially we know that the cost of living is skyrocketing. To be honest it’s not the right time to lie down in bed and stare at the sky.

“It’s time to work.”

The Village Voice approached Meafou while she was waiting for a bus on the side of the road at Mulifanua.

 “This is the whole point of all this hard work. My children deserve a better future.

 “Personally, this is what every parent is looking for. They want their children to succeed, and have a better future.

“But it will never happen if we just rely on others for a living from week to week.”

She especially likes being self-employed.

“I can be a mother and a father at the same time. I can go to plantation at any time and rest whenever I want to; you can work when you feel like it,” Meafou said.

She believes that every child needs someone to look up to and learn from.

“As parents, our job is to lead by example in modelling the kind of behaviour that we want our children to adopt as they live in this life.

“We don’t have to expect miracles from them; we need to work and lead them in the right way to go.

“For most children, the most important role models are their parents, but only when they are a regular presence in their lives.

“If we teach them the lesson of sleeping all day long, spending their time in front of TV and allow them to hold their phones all day long, then they’ll grow up with that lifestyle.

Moreover she said that every parent should build up a connection with their children.

“That is based on trust so they know they can count on you when they need you, and so that they learn to be trustworthy in return.

“I mean, your children will see your example – positive or negative – as a pattern for the way life is to be lived.

 “We have to teach them the right path to grow for days are getting harder and harder.”

By Ilia L Likou 23 November 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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