Diary of A Lagos Dad – Kids Awake
As I fixed my tie for work, a thunderous sound shook the house; ah yes, the kids were awake. It’s amazing how children wake up early when school is out, just so they can maximize on the holiday. We literally have to drag them out of bed to get ready when school is in session. Now it was mid-term, and the kids had a fun-filled time planned. I guess they figured if they woke up early they would enjoy the day to the fullest. My wife had made all the arrangements to ensure that they spent the time usefully, visiting with friends and family and also getting their home-work done.
Their cousins would be baby-sitting. My kids were all under 12, and with the adults away at work, we had to ‘hire’ the older kids to look after them during the mid-terms. I say hire because my nieces hardly did anything for free. The teenagers had become quite industrious by learning to earn money to buy the things they needed. I was parting with quite some money to have them entertain my kids and look after them in a fun way- according to them; which a nanny could not.
The plan for the week was simple; the kids would start the day with their chores and home-work and then be free to go out visiting, go to the cinema and what other entertainment they can find. Their cousins would be over by 10am to supervise and ensure chores and home-work has been done satisfactorily and chart out the fun part of the day. From the itinerary I was given, the cinema is in today’s schedule. It was close to my office; maybe I would surprise the kids and give them a treat. Oh well, off to work!
I got to the plaza a little after 6.30pm, I was quite alarmed at the number of kids – teenagers mostly. Had every kid decided to come to the cinema today? What was more frightening was their attire. I could not believe my eyes. Young girls with t-shirts that barely covered their navel, shorts cut so high up one could see more than should be seen, low cut blouses, transparent blouses, and way too much make up.
The boys seemed to have trouble keeping their trousers up as I could see their underwear; some actually came to the cinemas in their underwear it seemed because the singlet they wore wasn’t much clothing. I called my niece on the mobile phone asking that they meet me at the ice cream stand for a treat; to my dismay, when they eventually showed up; my nieces were wearing extremely short shorts. I was both embarrassed and quite upset to see them clad in this manner, but I decided I would not say anything.
My daughter was elated to see me, and lunged in for a hug. The kids chattered on the journey back while I pondered on how to speak to my nieces without hurting their feelings. I decided it would be better to have the conversation with them on a later date, probably after speaking to their parents. I looked at my little girl. I wondered if she noticed how her cousins were dressed and if she would one day make the choice to dress up the same way. I thought about the way girls were dressed when I was a young lad; was it so careless, so revealing.
Funny how everything seems different when you are young; in my mind, we were pretty decent back in the day and we weren’t allowed to dress so inappropriately at a young age. I definitely have to follow this up.
Photo Source: www.evanwebsterink.com
