Award-winning gospel musician and author Celestine Donkor has urged parents to be intentional about instilling values and discipline in their children from an early age, warning that there comes a point when shaping a child's behaviour becomes significantly more difficult.

The mother of three girls, speaking at the second edition of Convergence of Mothers organised by media personality MzGee, reflected on lessons she has learned from raising children.

According to the musician, many parents attempt to correct behaviours in their children that they never intentionally taught in the first place.

"There is an age in a child's life when you have some sort of control in shaping their behaviour, and there is a certain age when it is just too late to shape their behaviour," she said.

Drawing from her background in psychology and sociology, she explained that nurturing plays a significant role in determining who children become.

One lesson she carried from her childhood involved observing how her mother struggled with certain habits she and her siblings had developed.

She recalled how her mother, a trader, would return from the market carrying goods only to find the children waiting indoors instead of helping her.

Looking back, Donkor believes the issue was not that the children were unwilling to help but that they had never been intentionally taught to do so.

"It wasn't that we didn't want to help. We were simply not raised to do that," she said.

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Determined not to repeat that pattern, she and her husband consciously trained their daughters from a young age to greet people, assist with household responsibilities, and actively participate in family life.

According to her, parenting is not simply about correcting mistakes but creating habits and values before negative behaviours become entrenched.

"The key point is catching them young," she stressed.

She encouraged parents of toddlers and young children not to underestimate the influence they have during the early years, describing that period as one of the most important opportunities to shape character.

"If you are still raising a toddler, this is information you shouldn't joke with," she advised.

For the gospel musician, intentional parenting in a child's early years remains one of the greatest investments a parent can make.

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