Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi surprised many at a Karachi event when he revealed that he gave mobile phones to his elder daughters only after they got married.
Speaking at the gathering, Afridi urged parents to keep children away from the habit of handing them phones to keep them quiet.
“These days, when a child cries for even two minutes, parents immediately hand them a mobile phone just to keep them quiet,” he said. “I would sincerely request all parents to keep their children away from this disease, at least until the child reaches a mature age.”
He added that even in his own case, he gave mobile phones to two of his daughters only after they got married.
Afridi also stressed that raising children is not solely a mother’s responsibility. “I would like to make a request to all the husbands and fathers sitting here today: children are not only the mother’s responsibility,” he said. “A father’s role is just as important as a mother’s role. Time and attention from both parents are extremely important for children.”
He also touched on early schooling, saying that parents often send children as young as two and a half to three years old to school, which he called a mistake.
He said that basic upbringing at home until the age of five is essential, and no teacher can replace a parent during those early years.
Afridi’s two elder daughters are married, one of them to the current Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi.
