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Diary Of A Lagos Dad – Socks ‘n’ Me

Diary of A Lagos Dad –  Socks ‘n’ Me

My daughter always insisted that I put her socks on for her when she got ready for school. No matter how late we were running, if daddy didn’t put her socks on for her she would not let any other person do it. The day I woke up a bit late, she had called out to me to come put her socks on for her, and when I delayed, she marched into my bedroom; determined that my duties would not be delegated to someone else.

Irrespective of this daily, some-what demanding ritual, I was relieved that she had settled in to going to school. She had not been comfortable with leaving the house for school on the first day. Her nanny had to spend the entire day at her school with her because she had been very upset. Little by little, she eased into the daily routine of waking up like the other kids and getting ready for school, till we got to this point where I became a member of her glam squad…hmmm.

She always made sure I got a review of all she did in school once I got home. No matter how tired I was, I had to sit through all the nursery rhymes, new words and pictures. I was grateful each time her mother came and carried her away to prepare for bed. Don’t get me wrong. I love the time I spend with my kids, especially my daughter. She was very interested in my day, and expected me to be in hers. I remember when her brothers were that enthusiastic; these days I was the one who pried information out of them.

Parenting I did my best within my schedule to make sure I was a part of their lives. My father had been a civil servant and had been, to a great extent, a part of mine. I was blessed to have a father who believed in communication. Fully aware that a lot of my friends did not have conversations with their parents; theirs was more of a dictatorship. Parenting styles have evolved over the years and I do believe that children should be heard, but parents need to keep an eye on them. In this age of smart phones and the internet, a parent has to be very cautious and find creative ways to instill discipline.

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We did our best to keep communication up. We even had a no TV day in the house. My wife had wanted to make it a weekly thing, but the thought of missing all the football matches was too hard for me to bear. Once a month, we picked the last Saturday of the month; the TV would be off the entire day and night. We listened to the radio, and to each other. We played board games, learned how to do one or two things around the house. It was fun showing my sons how to wash the car, check the oil and change the tires. I thought them about electricity and how change a light bulb. Their mum always felt that learning to cook simple recipes was not bad, and I did not object. One never knows, one of the boys could become a chef.

A tug on my trouser brought me back to reality; my daughter was holding up a book, indicating time for her bed time story. I took the book from her, went down on all fours, she climbed on my back and I ‘drove her’ to her bedroom. I was so tired. I hope we both don’t fall asleep while reading the story.

Photo Source: www.mybrownbaby.com

 

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