I very well how I once told myself that “My kids will never go through this things.” I just returned from fetching water with a jerrycan, my neck was crying and my body was shivering, the slippers I had on as well... it's nothing to write home about. Guess what, that was the fourth trip that day. But, as I grew older, I began having a rethink. Not as if I want my future children to be going long distances with big gallons in search of water, but there’s something about those experiences, there's something about those struggles that built me, something that having a "soft life” can’t teach.
Personally, I want to raise children who understand both sides, I want them to know the joy of being in their house and at the same time know the humility that comes from knowing that some people still queue for water. I really want them to have a bit of almost everything, they should eat jollof rice and chicken and still know how to eat eba with okra soup.
Also, I won’t beat them with slippers like my mother did to me anytime I fail to wash the dishes. Of course they will do the house chores, I won't be employing a housemaid, they will sweep, they will wash, they will clean and they will cook. Saturdays will be dedicated for cleaning the entire environment. I’ll teach them my native tongue(Yoruba), whether they like it or not. I'll make sure to enroll them in very good schools, they will follow their mother to the market. I will make sure they know how to price goods and calculate their change including goods bought without using a calculator.
Also, I won't introduce them to the Internet at an early age, I won't get them an android phone until a certain age, I'll make sure to instill in them good morals, respect for elders and all....I’ll also ne the type who listens, laugh at their silly jokes, I won't be the type of father who dismises a child's feeling, I will mske sure they are not afraid of me, I will make sure I am their safe space, I will be a father a child is willing to run to, to share things with and to respect as well.
Nope, my kids won’t go through everything I had to go through, but they will experience certain things that are necessary in shaping character. I would build kings and queens that are loving, kind, who know their worth and also understand that not everything in life comes in a golden plate.
All pictures are mine.
Thanks for taking your time to read through, kindly do well to stop by my blog for more amazing, educative and exclusive contents.