Parents, talk to your children this holiday — before someone else does
Parents guiding children through homework and daily learning at home
The long school break is an opportunity, not a gap — but only if parents show up for the conversations that matter most.
By Lydia Onserio
The school bell has rung, the holidays have begun, and millions of Kenyan children are suddenly home with time, curiosity and unrestricted access to screens. What happens next depends largely on whether parents are willing to engage — or whether they leave that space to the internet.
The holiday period is not simply a break from learning. It is a window for the conversations that formal education rarely makes room for. Chief among them is the talk about sex. Children are naturally curious, and in the absence of honest guidance from parents, they will seek answers elsewhere — from peers, from social media, from whatever the village offers. Parents who address these topics calmly and age-appropriately are not overstepping — they are being responsible.
Academic work also needs attention. A pile of holiday assignments can overwhelm a child who does not know where to begin. Parents can help by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps rather than issuing blanket instructions to finish everything at once.
Screen time is the third front. Families that agree on clear, reasonable boundaries around devices — phones away during study time, screens off before bed — give children a structure they can respect, particularly when parents model the same behaviour themselves.
Children need room to grow, but they also need adults who show up. When parents disengage, children do not simply cope — they drift. The holiday is long enough to lose a child to bad influences, and short enough to bring one closer.
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