DAR ES SALAAM: IN many homes today, parents wake up early and return late exhausted from the endless pursuit of survival. Between work, business and daily pressures, family conversations are slowly disappearing. Children eat alone, spend hours on phones or outside the home and quietly carry struggles many parents never get the chance to notice.
And as the gap between parents and children widens, communities are beginning to feel the consequences. From increasing cases of drug abuse and violence to emotional distress among children and family conflicts, experts say many of the challenges affecting society today are deeply connected to weakening family bonds and the declining culture of parental guidance.
It is this growing concern that dominated discussions during this year’s International Day of Families commemorated by Ilemela Municipal Council at Kitangiri Ward on May 15.
The event brought together parents, community leaders and social welfare experts, all carrying one central message, strong families remain the foundation of a stable and morally grounded society. Speakers repeatedly said that raising children requires more than providing food, school fees and shelter.
Children also need time, emotional connection and guidance from parents and guardians. Ilemela Community Development Officer, Mr Yusuph Okoko urged parents to rebuild the habit of sitting down and talking with their children regularly. He said many children fall into dangerous behaviours simply because no one listens to them, guides them or notices changes in their lives early enough.
“Parents have become too occupied with searching for income and forgotten their responsibility to guide children,” he said.
He warned that when children are left to grow without close supervision and direction, they become more vulnerable to drug abuse, violence and behaviours that conflict with social values. According to Okoko, simple family conversations can play a major role in building trust, correcting behaviour and strengthening love and unity within households.
“A child who feels heard at home is more likely to open up when facing challenges,” he noted.
Throughout the commemoration, discussions focused not only on parenting but also on the changing pressures modern families face. Parents received education on mental health, family conflict resolution, gender-based violence, drug abuse and the importance of parentchild communication.
Coordinator of the event in Ilemela Municipality, Neema Majura, said many families today are struggling silently with emotional and social challenges that often go unnoticed until problems become serious.
She stressed that strong families are built through communication, emotional support and shared responsibility among family members.
“Mental health within families is becoming an important issue. Parents need to understand how emotional wellbeing affects relationships, children’s behaviour and family stability,” she said.
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For many parents who attended the event, the discussions became a moment of reflection. A parent from Kitangiri, Emelesiana Makaranga, said the event reminded her that parenting goes beyond meeting material needs.
“We have learned that children need close guidance and protection. If parents are not careful, children can easily fall into harmful situations,” she said.
Another parent, Joseph Athuman, said families are increasingly facing social pressures that require parents to become more involved in the lives of their children. He said that many parents often realize too late that children have been struggling emotionally, exposed to abuse or influenced by destructive peer groups. This year’s International Day of Families was commemorated globally under the theme: “Families, Inequality and Child Wellbeing.”
The theme highlights how economic hardship, unequal opportunities and social pressures continue to affect children’s development and the overall wellbeing of families. But beyond global themes and official speeches, the conversations in Kitangiri reflected a reality many Tanzanian families already understand, children thrive where love, guidance and communication exist.
Experts say even in difficult economic times, small efforts such as eating together, listening without judgment and spending time with children can help strengthen family relationships and protect children from harmful influences.
As modern life becomes busier and distractions continue to grow, many fear that family bonds are weakening quietly behind closed doors. Yet community leaders insist the solution may begin with something simple, parents making time to listen again.