Welcome to The Diary of a LagosDad on Raising Toddlers
The noise jolted me out of my much needed sleep. At first I could not understand what sort of noise it was, but as I slowly gained consciousness I realized it was music; really loud, LOUD music. I looked at the bedside clock – 7.30am. It was Saturday, the only day I could sleep till mid-day. What was this loud music about this early in the morning?
I put on a t-shirt and went downstairs, as I approached the living room, the music became louder and more distinct; I could feel adrenaline pumping and my body becoming hot. I was quite upset at being awakened on my rest day by this sort of music. Walking into the living room, what I saw stopped me in my tracks.
My three year old daughter was standing in front of the TV, mimicking Beyonce’s dance steps and trying to sing along. I could not believe my eyes. I took in a deep breath. I watched her for about thirty seconds – hands up, leg shake, an attempt to sing along and a giggle. I scouted the room for the remote control and once I spotted it I moved to get her attention. “Hey Baby Girl; daddy needs a hug!” she squealed in delight and ran towards me.
Firmly in my arms, I made rumbling sounds on her neck, she giggled and squealed; “daddy stop, daddy stop”; right where I wanted her! I changed the channel to the kids’ station and placed d remote on a high plane I knew she could not reach. Thankfully Barney was on and he was leading a sing along. Crossing my fingers that she would not notice what I had done, I placed her down and began tickling her; more squealing- then she heard Barney singing; bingo, she looked at the screen and like magic joined in.
Very relieved that I had managed to change the channel before my daughter became exposed to more inappropriate music, I wondered why the parental control had not been activated. One of us had slipped up, would activate it later. Meanwhile I thought about what I had seen earlier on; a three year old soaking up the gestures and lyrics of a pop artist. How delicate.
Then my thoughts went to another place-would I like my child to emulate and exhibit such gestures later in life – The skimpy clothes, the over expression of sexuality, the crazy hair and make-up? I definitely do not want my daughter dancing scantily clad and using her body as a tool to sell music. But that is what I want, what happens when she is older and making her own decisions? What can I do as a father to equip my baby girl with the tools to make the right choices in life? I am a dad, I have a daughter, and it is my responsibility to prepare her for woman hood as much as her mum.
My resolve has led me to share with you my style of parenting. My name is Zack, a LagosDad and this is my diary.
Photo Source: drjohnblog.guidetoself.com
