I grew up in a tight-knit community where I helped babysit my nieces, nephews and even the neighbors’ kids. Motherhood was an experience I looked forward to. But my expectations were very different from the reality I faced as a first time young mother. I had challenging pregnancies with complications. It was not easy. Fortunately, I now have four healthy children and I am happy to see them grow.
At the birth of my last child, I decided to reach out to other mothers whose circumstances were similar to mine. We shared our experiences, challenges and wins, and I felt uplifted. That birthed the ‘Preemie Love Foundation’ where we provide psychosocial support to mothers of preterm babies. Through Preemie Love, mothers don’t feel alone, they’re able to discuss their challenges and find options for what to do in various situations, they’re able to understand that they have the support of a community, and to have hope that the babies will grow up healthy.
Raising Gen Z’s has been a learning journey because it has forced me to be present in the internet space, especially social media, to monitor and understand the content my children are interacting with. From this, I have been able to comfortably regulate what they can consume and what is off limits. Children these days are very vocal, especially my youngest who is in grade two, who questions a lot of the decisions I impose on him. When I tell him, you cannot watch this, he asks, Why not? This pushes me explain more about the rules I put in place.
To bond with my kids, we engage in shared family activities like playing board games, watching movies, and excursions. But mostly, we just hang around the house together. However, since each child has unique interests, we encourage and facilitate their pursuits by enrolling them in different activities, such as football, taekwondo, or computer programming, tailored to their individual interests.
My mother is my world – Victor
‘Mother’s Day is a special day to celebrate mothers in the whole world. They took care of us when we were young, nurtured us, sacrificed so much for us and that is why they should be celebrated every other day. They are supernatural human beings.’
The moment Victor gets home, he ensures that he spends most of his time with his mom. His mom loves cooking, and together they enjoy experimenting with new recipes.
“I am always the first she calls to taste the food and judge if it’s perfect. I love her cooking so much. I can give anything just to always eat her food! That’s my mom.”
Although house managers make life easier, Victor appreciates not having one as being with just his mother strengthens their bond. They help each other out with household tasks and in doing so, get to know each other even better.
“My mom and I help each other out with household chores. I wish I could do everything on my own just so she can just relax but she always insists that we do most of the work together. This is a great strategy to bond because we don’t see each other more often and the smallest chance we get, we grasp it with both hands and I wouldn’t want that any other way.”
Mothers are God sent. They are amazing people so let’s take this day to celebrate them to the fullest.
My first love – Gilbert, People and Culture
“My first love. My first teacher. My first everything. She heard me when I couldn’t talk, held me before I could walk, and when I fell, she’d pick me up and clean my wounds. This day is special as I get to celebrate her in all ways possible. Her genuine love truly counts. Today, I get to reflect on what she means to me and how she made me who I am today. I always celebrate her by sending her appreciation quotes and some good M-PESA messages to make her day. She is one person I find hard to say no to. No amount of money or gifts are enough to pay her back for all she has done for me but before the day ends, I will make sure she feels loved and appreciated. ”
Happy Mother’s Day!
This article was written by Louise Akinyi, a third year Communications student.
What’s your story? We’d like to hear it. Contact us via communications@strathmore.edu
What’s your story? We’d like to hear it. Contact us via communications@strathmore.edu