Yorùbá Thoughts and Beliefs in Child Birth and Child Moral Upbringing: A Cultural Perspective

Abstract

Yorùbá thoughts and beliefs in childbirth and childmoral upbringing as expressed in Yorùbá philosophy and culture are the focus of this paper. The paper pays considerable attention to the prominent position children occupied in the thoughts and beliefs of the Yorùbá, this we attributed to why they take absolute care of their children. Some of the findings of this paper is that the main purpose why people of Yorùbá extraction venture and spend physically, economically and emotionally on marriage is to have morally and economically formidable children. We show that according to the dictates of Yorùbá culture, marriage precedes pregnancy, then, tending of pregnancy, child birth, and moral upbringing. The Yorùbá also believe that a child not properly brought up will certainly become social destitute in later years when suchis supposed to be productive. It is also believed that, parents who are survived by culturally, economically and morally acceptable children in the society that have acceptable children. The contemporary Yorùbá society must follow suit by making well brought up children a priority as the case is in the traditional Yorùbá society that is characterized with largely peaceful co-existence and tranquility, free of bastards and children without paternal and maternal upbringing, owing to the fact that both parents have distinct roles to play in the wellbeing of children in a family which is the pillar of a workable society.