Lately and sadly, some women have formed the habit of killing and maiming  both their biological and adopted children.  Sometimes, they use rat poisoning and other harmful substances on the children.
Hardly any day passes without hearing that a mother has allegedly carried out such ugly act on a child.  Sometimes they use hot water, grounded hot pepper, mutter pestle and all manner of clubs on children.
Some of the reasons range from psychological, emotional, financial and many other factors.  No matter how difficult family matters can be, they can be sorted out without hurting the children.  It should be condemned that a woman will be so wicked to kill a child she carried for nine months.
This issue concerns women the more so they should have the number of children they can cater for.  They should also ensure that they have children with men who will cater for the same children.   Women should not have children for the fun of it.
In some local villages,  you see a young woman of 20 to 25 years being proud of having even two children outside wedlock.  She will go about boasting when some young women are still preparing to go into marriage even at 30.
It will be surprising to note that she does not have or cannot hold any man responsible for those children.
During solemnization of marriages between couples, one of the issues that is always prayed for is having of children as soon as they are joined in Holy matrimony.  ‘Your children shall surround your table. You shall see your children’s children and so on’.  The church,  family and friends expect that after nine months of marriage, the couple is expected to invite the same people for churching of women and dedication of a baby.
Of course, that’s the joy of every family.  Any family that does not get a child after a few years of marriage is not always happy. As a woman after marriage, you get some jokes reminding you that in the next one year, pepper soup and the likes should be expected.  So, its normal.
When children come, should they be punished for any little provocation?  When some women have emotional and psychological problems, they vent their angers on children.
Couples should know the number of children to have.  There should be mental readiness. In the case of single motherhood, the woman should be ready to shoulder such responsibility.  The case of going into the world to multiply should be ruled out.
It is worrisome to hear that a woman killed her two children because her husband refused to keep money for feeding. Definitely she is the one to lose after going through the pains of child birth.
A lot of factors should be considered by couples such as mental health.  The two should be mentally fit before giving birth to children.
Financial capability is very important.  You cannot have children you cannot feed. Money must available to run the affairs of the home especially with the high standard of living. Financial adjustments have to be made for couples to tackle family challenges.
There has to be mutual understanding between the man and wife in things that concern the children.
Couples should be ready to carry the responsibility because children come with a lot of responsibilities and accommodation is very necessary.
Some women give birth and subject their children to child labour and send some out as housemaids.  Before deciding to have children, there should be thorough thinking.  You could have had children when things were going well, but when things begin to go bad, a lot of counselling should come in.
There must be a budget plan for the family. The environment has to be conducive.  The issue of genotype is very important so as to avoid having children with sickle cell anaemia (SS).  This can be so frustrating to parents.  Psychological evaluation must be carried out by couples before marriage.
Economic factors such as Joblessness on one parent to complement each other in contributing to the family.  Educational factors must be considered because the children must go to school.
Women should work on their temperament knowing that children can annoy their parents.  Providing for the child and being there for the child when he or she needs you is very important.  Sometimes when children do not get what want, they tend to be stubborn.  But mothers should know how to handle such situations when they arise.
Let’s assume that some factors were considered by couples before marriage on how many children they should have, paradventure things began to go bad, couples can make amendments.
The consideration for support system is a factor that should not be left out in marriage.  If anything happens, who do you leave your child for?
People should not have babies when they are not ready.  Do not  have a child with someone who is not psychologically ready. Women should not endanger the lives of children any longer.  One thing is having children and another is catering for them.
One should not have children because others are having and at the end of the day, in the course of little provocation, the child’s life is cut short.
Children did not bring themselves to the planet earth.  They were given birth to by man and woman, whether married or unmarried.  No amount of provocation should make a woman kill either her biological or foster child.
Women should have the number of children they can cater for in case difficult situations arise.

By: Eunice Choko-Kayode