Having observed the difficulties of raising boy children, a Mamelodi East mother decided to host an event to have a dialogue on the issue.
Nomonde Bhembe held the open day at Life Giving Ministries in extension 17, Mamelodi East last Saturday.
She invited parents – especially single moms – from Mamelodi to attend the event.
Though the talk was held in church, it was open to all the boys from the community and their parents.
Bhembe said she felt the need for mothers to have open talks with their sons.
“We need to know what is happening in the minds of our children, and we know it is not easy to have these talks in the homes,” said Bhembe.
“The boys were given an opportunity to open up by writing down their questions. They also got an opportunity to ask experts questions,” said Bhembe.
She said the project started last year and would become an annual event.
“I feel that having these talks would strengthen the relationship between mothers and their sons,” said Bhembe.
She said the talk was important “because we don’t only want to hear about their challenges but also to show them that we care about them as well”.
The event was attended by motivational speaker Solly Leotlela, who encouraged boys to know themselves and what they wanted in life.
He called for self-respect and respect for their parents.
Leotlela also warned about drugs which he said would destroy their future and urged them to do something better with their lives before taking drugs.
“You should think twice before taking drugs.”
One of the boys who attended the event Xolani Masango said the session helped a lot as it gave them a chance to talk about issues they could not say to their mothers.
“I am grateful for this open talk because I also got to hear my peers’ views. It is not easy for us to open up but this is our platform to talk,” said Masango.
