‘Keep authority even when children pay the bills,’ Nigerian movie producer tells parents

Nollywood filmmaker Biodun Stephen has advised Nigerian parents not to surrender their authority or parental responsibilities to their children, even if those children become the primary providers for the family.

In a post shared on her Instagram page on Sunday, the filmmaker—renowned for her insightful storytelling—encouraged parents to uphold discipline and guidance in the home, regardless of financial dynamics.

She wrote, “Poverty does not diminish the role of good parenting. That your child is the breadwinner, doesn’t mean the baton of parenting is now the child’s, as long as the said child under the law and your household rules is still recognised as a child.

The filmmaker acknowledged that life’s circumstances sometimes make children the primary providers in a household but insisted that such a shift should not blur parental boundaries.

“Of course life happens such that the child may become the breadwinner, it doesn’t mean as parents we dance to the tune of that child forgetting our roles in the first place.

Stephen revealed that her post was triggered by a documentary she recently watched, which highlighted how parents often lose their moral authority once a child begins to provide for the family.

“Saw a documentary that triggered me so and I see how this plays out here, even on this SM street. Parents, play your role regardless.”