TOPIC TODAY: As a parent, are You Providing a care-giving Life or Paying For Absence?In a world that demands our time, "Love Bombing" has become a survival strategy.• Does "buying affection" teach children that people are replaceable by things?• Can we find the courage to be present and imperfect rather than absent and "perfect"?• The Big Question: If you were to take away all the gadgets and gifts you’ve given your child this year, would your relationship still have a solid foundation, or would it be empty?
The humidity at Evking’s Bar is thick, but the atmosphere inside the booth is heavier. Jide is watching a man at the far table. The man is wearing a sharp suit, looking exhausted, and handing a brand-new, high-end tablet to a six-year-old girl who hasn't seen him all week. The girl takes it, but she doesn't look at the screen - she looks at her father, hoping he’ll stay. He doesn't; he opens his laptop. "There it is," Jide whispers, nodding toward them. "The Lagos Trade-Off. We trade our hours for Naira, then try to buy back the child's heart with the same Naira. But does the math ever add up?" OLA: Look, Jide, life in 2026 is a marathon. If I’m away for 12 hours a day, I want my kids to have the best. I didn’t have a bike or a console when I was young. If I buy it for them, it’s because I love them. Why is that an "escape"? JENNIFER: It becomes an escape, Ola, when the gift is used to soothe your own anxiety rather than meet the child’...