POLOKWANE – The story of Beef Nkoana (33), can be seen as an inspiration to young men who are tackling raising children in a marriage and building a successful career.

He said especially in the evolving world where co-parenting is rife among the youth, it is important for men to also practice resilience during inevitable hardships in both their growing families and careers.

The father of two children, a girl (9) and a boy (6) was bred in Polokwane and has been married for three years, all while being an involved father for close to 10.

Nkoana is an ambitious man with many hats – a community activist, a member of the School Governing Body at Pietersburg Comprehensive School, executive member of Limpopo united business forum and Polokwane chamber of business also owning a construction company.

But he told Polokwane Observer that oftentimes, he has had to slow such ambitions in their tracks, to prioritise and maintain the healthy relationships of his marriage and children.

“The truth is the maintenance of a family is a lot of work and so is that of building a career. But, perhaps in striving to provide for them and hitting your goals; pause and think of how that can affect them, so strike a balance and know how to improvise,” Nkoana explained.

He also mentioned that regular counselling can help improve the quality of marriages and consultations with partners regarding whether your ambitions are still aligned or if there is a need to do so.

Meanwhile, Nkoana outlined that it is important to draw up a list of personal do’s and don’ts and similarly those agreed upon in the family, in order to account for actions all the time.

“That should be the constitution of this institution called marriage. And the discipline spills over to your children and then your career,” he noted.