PROBABLY NOT A MUM; CONFLICTS WITH MY MUM
"Uchungu wa mwana aijuaye ni mama"
An old adage but it certainly freaks
So comforting it was when I was a kid
But now, it's certainly a tide
When a baby is born, a mother is born too
The bond gets strong, when the two are connected as one
I was one and she was thirty one
I was the second child and she became a mother of two
She possessed it all; the definitions of a mum
Now I'm on the same path,
A mother has been born in me
I look through my mum but I can't see me
All the teachings, sacrifices, encouragements, and even the scoldings:
Annie you should say...
Annie you should do...
Annie you shouldn't!...
The do's and the don'ts, whoa!
How I wished God could intervene
Little did I know that she was indeed God sent.
God help me perform a near-perfect motherhood
Because probably, I'm still not a man
Cuddling, rocking, lullabies, baby sitting
Stuff I was used to being done for
Caring, loving, tickling, comfy clothing
I got them all in tonnes
Now I'm all grown, I see the burdens, I see the heftiness
And probably, I think I'm still not a mum yet
So when I was five I went through the normal test
They asked me to identify a dog and I did
A nurse, I did
And even the most complicated one; a jeep, I alone did
Then a father, and I definitely got it right
And oh! There was a woman with a pan and an apron, below were the letters;
M.O.T.H.E.R
I put together the letters and proudly read, BEST
Whatever the interviewer said did not matter
To me, mother was BEST
Best giver, best provider, best lover, best companion, best friend and best among the best
When I think of being the best of the best, then indeed, probably, I'm still not a mum
Home lifters, perfect nannies, the godesses of multi-tasking
Single-hood should never be an excuse
Cause a mother's got to do what a mother's got to do
They say water is life
I say mother is best
So mother plus water, equals best life
But is this something I can provide? Best life?
I'll probably strive until probably, I become a BEST MUM.
It has been a long while and I am convinced that he will never disapprove his cowardice and I have learnt to live with it. After all, you do not need a humidor if you do not appreciate smoking. I know my son is soon getting a dad but until then, my mother decided to assume the fatherhood and she put up the act so well. She was willing to do it all. She took care of both the basics and the unessential. She even made herself flexible enough to run around the house and go shopping at odd hours just to fulfill the needs of her grandson, who is slowly becoming like a son to her. It was so glorious to see the both of them having a nap on the couch, holding hands like somehow they were sharing a wonderous dream.
The fatherhood act was amazing and she was indeed good at it but on the flip side, it ironically triggered some discomfort in me. Our ideas of how well to raise my son were always conflicting and I felt as though Robin Hood was taking too much from me and giving it to mum, little by little. We had clashing opinions on what kind of multivitamin he should use, whether he should use cereals or snacks or even the kind of toys he should have and when to have them. We had a hard time deciding on the kind of diapers to use. At times the conflicts were so heated that we could even go mum on each other. The arguments still go on till date and right now we cannot seem to come to an agreement on the right sleeping position for the baby.
You see, ever since I embarked on this journey, I have been accustomed to reading baby and parenthood magazines and I always come across some fascinating facts that sometimes are not in line with my mother's ideologies. As much as I wanted to stick with the culture of the papers, I was obliged to adapt to and align with my mum's teaching. And here again, the old adage, "asiyeskia la mkuu...", made me change my mind. I applaud my mum for all she has done and the champion she is is who I want to become. She is indeed the greatest gift my son and I have ever received. Without her, we really have nothing to show.
An old adage but it certainly freaks
So comforting it was when I was a kid
But now, it's certainly a tide
When a baby is born, a mother is born too
The bond gets strong, when the two are connected as one
I was one and she was thirty one
I was the second child and she became a mother of two
She possessed it all; the definitions of a mum
Now I'm on the same path,
A mother has been born in me
I look through my mum but I can't see me
All the teachings, sacrifices, encouragements, and even the scoldings:
Annie you should say...
Annie you should do...
Annie you shouldn't!...
The do's and the don'ts, whoa!
How I wished God could intervene
Little did I know that she was indeed God sent.
God help me perform a near-perfect motherhood
Because probably, I'm still not a man
Cuddling, rocking, lullabies, baby sitting
Stuff I was used to being done for
Caring, loving, tickling, comfy clothing
I got them all in tonnes
Now I'm all grown, I see the burdens, I see the heftiness
And probably, I think I'm still not a mum yet
So when I was five I went through the normal test
They asked me to identify a dog and I did
A nurse, I did
And even the most complicated one; a jeep, I alone did
Then a father, and I definitely got it right
And oh! There was a woman with a pan and an apron, below were the letters;
M.O.T.H.E.R
I put together the letters and proudly read, BEST
Whatever the interviewer said did not matter
To me, mother was BEST
Best giver, best provider, best lover, best companion, best friend and best among the best
When I think of being the best of the best, then indeed, probably, I'm still not a mum
Home lifters, perfect nannies, the godesses of multi-tasking
Single-hood should never be an excuse
Cause a mother's got to do what a mother's got to do
They say water is life
I say mother is best
So mother plus water, equals best life
But is this something I can provide? Best life?
I'll probably strive until probably, I become a BEST MUM.
It has been a long while and I am convinced that he will never disapprove his cowardice and I have learnt to live with it. After all, you do not need a humidor if you do not appreciate smoking. I know my son is soon getting a dad but until then, my mother decided to assume the fatherhood and she put up the act so well. She was willing to do it all. She took care of both the basics and the unessential. She even made herself flexible enough to run around the house and go shopping at odd hours just to fulfill the needs of her grandson, who is slowly becoming like a son to her. It was so glorious to see the both of them having a nap on the couch, holding hands like somehow they were sharing a wonderous dream.
The fatherhood act was amazing and she was indeed good at it but on the flip side, it ironically triggered some discomfort in me. Our ideas of how well to raise my son were always conflicting and I felt as though Robin Hood was taking too much from me and giving it to mum, little by little. We had clashing opinions on what kind of multivitamin he should use, whether he should use cereals or snacks or even the kind of toys he should have and when to have them. We had a hard time deciding on the kind of diapers to use. At times the conflicts were so heated that we could even go mum on each other. The arguments still go on till date and right now we cannot seem to come to an agreement on the right sleeping position for the baby.
You see, ever since I embarked on this journey, I have been accustomed to reading baby and parenthood magazines and I always come across some fascinating facts that sometimes are not in line with my mother's ideologies. As much as I wanted to stick with the culture of the papers, I was obliged to adapt to and align with my mum's teaching. And here again, the old adage, "asiyeskia la mkuu...", made me change my mind. I applaud my mum for all she has done and the champion she is is who I want to become. She is indeed the greatest gift my son and I have ever received. Without her, we really have nothing to show.
Mama knows best
ReplyDelete