Our grandparents are bringing up two generations
What you need to know:
- Many teenage girls, students, single women including commercial sex workers who get pregnant, end up abandoning their babies with their parents.
- One of the best kept secrets in many homes are children born out of wedlock, who are under the custody of their grandparents.
The landmark ruling by a Kakamega court to make a woman pay her estranged husband child support was probably one of most debated court stories in the recent past.
The ruling not only generated heated discussions on local FM stations, but also trended widely on leading social media sites. And for a good reason.
It is not because the infamous child support concept is fast gaining ground in Kenya, nor the fact that it is the first time a woman has been ordered to pay for her husband’s upkeep. It is a sign of bigger things to come.
For me, the biggest victim of neglected children, and whom the Constitution never contemplated, is not the single parent. Most single parents of active child-bearing age are able to work, earn a living and give their children a decent life.
THE REWARD
Many high-profile individuals the world over have been ordered by the courts to offer child support for their unknown children as a result of extra-marital affairs or short term relationships.
Most of those cases attract negative media publicity and destroy other relationships in the process. But in the end, a successful child support court battle is its own reward.
In my view, however, the person who deserves financing for child support is a grandparent. And this is why.
Many teenage girls, students, single women including commercial sex workers who get pregnant, end up abandoning their babies with their parents.
UNDISCLOSED CHILDREN
This is partly because they do not have the time or the money to take care of their children, the man responsible for the pregnancy is not cooperating, or because they do not want to ruin their chances of getting into another relationship.
Let’s face it. Many people were raised by their grandparents. And they are quite successful. Although raising a second generation brings happiness, and giving your grandchildren a sense of security, it comes with many challenges.
No matter how much you love your grandchildren, taking them into your home requires major adjustments. Grandparents, in many homes, roll back the years to make a real difference in the lives of grandchildren.
One of the best kept secrets in many homes are children born out of wedlock, who are under the custody of their grandparents.
This is a big problem because most married couples who have undisclosed children cannot support them lest the cat gets out of the bag.
SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
This causes unnecessary suffering to those children and their grandparents and the result is an increase in the number of street children in major towns.
But what if the grandparents demanded child support from their children and their partners? What if it were possible for them to argue a case in court to demand the rights of the children under their custody?
In most cases the fathers of those children are always known by the grandparents. There needs to be a way for the grandparent to sue the father of the child or children for neglect.
Grandparents are great people. They not only raise a generation, they raise many generations. They are the true unsung heroes and must be protected.
Mr Makokha is a video producer with the Nation Digital section ([email protected])
