IN THE NAME OF HUSTLE...
I always thought (erroneously) that I didn't like kids so much. I felt this way because whenever I saw a kid, there was really not so much connection between us. It was either they cried so hard and I thought, maybe I wasn't so friendly, or I looked scary (of course not), or kids weren't just my thing. Then my niece came along, and the story changed. She literally grew on me! I love her with every fibre of my being, and I began to love all kids too. From random kids I met on the road, to kids at her school, to kids in church...you name it. There was this attraction to them, so much that whenever I see a kid, I always remember my niece, and I want to treat them as my own.
And that's why, when issues pertaining to kids and their welfare arises, I take it seriously. I have learnt that these kids are little angels. You'll need to live with one to fully understand this. When God said ''I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'' and that ''let the little ones come to me'' etc (not a bible scholar...sorry), you should know that little children goes beyond the physical.
Just now, I read a story about a two year child that got injured in school. Her parents work late hours, so they pay for after school care services too. On this particular occasion, the parents got to the school around 7:30pm and found out that the child had a deep cut close to her eyes which was left unattended to for God knows how long. There was another little kid who couldn't give a good explanation of how the injury came about. No adult around to ask any question too. The parents got a rude shock when the proprietress's daughter and husband came out from nowhere and said that they didn't know how the injury came about and it wasn't their fault. The parents were understandably angry and unsatisfied with the reaction they got and they reported the matter to the Police that evening. The school authorities were invited for questioning at the station the next day. Now over to the shocker...
The next day, the school slipped a letter into the child's bag . The letter was a rude advice to the parents to withdraw their child from the school immediately on the lame excuse that ''they could not guarantee that a similar situation will not repeat itself again''. Wow! Such effrontery! And wickedness too!
This makes me recall a similar situation that happened at my niece's crèche when she was a little above a year old (yes, maternity leave lasts for only three months, and mother had to get back to work). I usually pick my niece around 6pm or later because her parents work later than I. But on this day, I got to the school earlier than usual, only to find my precious niece crying so much. She had red eyes and a runny nose. No crèche ''aunty'' was in sight. Few seconds later, Aunty XOXO surfaces and claims she only stepped out to use the convenience. Unbelievable! She left 10 toddlers all by themselves to take a pee. Some of these kids were up on the bonk bed, others were sleeping and others were playing on the floor. I have no issues with anyone answering nature's call, but she could have put them in care of some older colleague and not leave them unguarded. Imagine a child rolled off the bonk bed whilst sleeping, or another naughty one throws a toy and hit another on the head? Just make a mental picture of all sort of accidents that could happen with children...Omo, I drew rain that evening! Her excuse was she only stepped out some seconds ago. That's unlikely. My niece had red eyes as of someone crying over a long time. She was panting too. Haba! All these couldn't have happened in just a minute. My take was that she left the kids unattended to, because she simply wasn't expecting any parent to come for pick up just so soon. I warned the lady seriously that evening.
I was still fuming when I got home (please don't tell me I was being too dramatic), and my sister met me in that state so I narrated my experience. Gbam! We drove back to the school immediately. Proprietress was around then and she didn't understand how my oh-so-gentle sister that she knows could be so pissed. The school spent the better part of the term apologizing to my sister and they became more careful with the kids (I can say that because I noticed the changes. The school was the first to report any bruise or scratch on my niece even before we noticed and they'll apologize seriously and even slipped in that they know my sister wouldn't take it nicely but I should kindly explain things to her...lol).
You see, with kids, you have to be extra careful and dedicated. Agreed that they can be a handful sometimes, but that goes without saying. How does a working mum keep her kid in your care for a fee, and then come back from the day's work only to find her baby with a bruise or a broken arm? How na? It's wrong on all grounds. It's painful for parents to leave their kids in someone else's care because they have to ''work for this money''. So, when they do, treat the child with utmost care and priority. Don't even get me started on some crèches that wouldn't give your baby any food to eat all day simply because ''they forgot'' or ''the baby refused to eat'', and you come back to meet the nicely packed lunch box you woke up by 5am to prepare for him/her, untouched.
I was talking to a friend who has three kids, and while she was narrating her crèche experiences with me, she said something that struck me. She said, ''even if I have 10 children, I will take care of each of them like I have just one child''.
I really cannot feel what a mother feels when she sees an injury on her baby's body (I have no child yet), but I know what I feel as a doting aunt, and it isn't close to nice. Little wonder my dad avoided all the crèche drama and mumsi had to stay at home and take care of us. Daddy did the hustle. I knew my dad would havebroken someone's head if anything happened to his child(ren) because of the negligence of one crèche worker. But the economy is not as good as it was some thirty plus years ago. Nowadays, both parents may need to work to keep the home together and settle bills, the bills don't stop coming , so you cannot blame them really.
If I leave my kid in your care and you charge me for it and I pay, I deserve and demand maximum care and attention for him/her. It's that simple.
What do you guys think? Should a woman leave her job and cater for the kids when the option of crèches have been explored and isn't working? Personally, I will advice that if the lady must work, she should have a job that is flexible enough to afford her to be at home latest by 5pm or 6pm. The man can work for later hours. Or, if the lady has a demanding job with a good pay and the man has a flexible work time and closes from work earlier, he can hold the forte pending when the wife comes back later. Or you can have a relative stay with you, or a mother or a mother-in-law, pending when the child is old enough and can take care of his/herself.
Whichever rocks their boat...
In all of these, children should not be left at the mercy of nannies or crèches or wicked people for no offense of theirs. They didn't ask to be brought to the world, you did, so make sure you have elaborate plans that'll be ''convenient'' for the kids and wouldn't stress them out. Their formative years are a crucial part of their lives and shouldn't be spent in neglect.
You agree with me on this? Please share your thoughts guys!
Barby.
And that's why, when issues pertaining to kids and their welfare arises, I take it seriously. I have learnt that these kids are little angels. You'll need to live with one to fully understand this. When God said ''I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'' and that ''let the little ones come to me'' etc (not a bible scholar...sorry), you should know that little children goes beyond the physical.
Just now, I read a story about a two year child that got injured in school. Her parents work late hours, so they pay for after school care services too. On this particular occasion, the parents got to the school around 7:30pm and found out that the child had a deep cut close to her eyes which was left unattended to for God knows how long. There was another little kid who couldn't give a good explanation of how the injury came about. No adult around to ask any question too. The parents got a rude shock when the proprietress's daughter and husband came out from nowhere and said that they didn't know how the injury came about and it wasn't their fault. The parents were understandably angry and unsatisfied with the reaction they got and they reported the matter to the Police that evening. The school authorities were invited for questioning at the station the next day. Now over to the shocker...
The next day, the school slipped a letter into the child's bag . The letter was a rude advice to the parents to withdraw their child from the school immediately on the lame excuse that ''they could not guarantee that a similar situation will not repeat itself again''. Wow! Such effrontery! And wickedness too!
This makes me recall a similar situation that happened at my niece's crèche when she was a little above a year old (yes, maternity leave lasts for only three months, and mother had to get back to work). I usually pick my niece around 6pm or later because her parents work later than I. But on this day, I got to the school earlier than usual, only to find my precious niece crying so much. She had red eyes and a runny nose. No crèche ''aunty'' was in sight. Few seconds later, Aunty XOXO surfaces and claims she only stepped out to use the convenience. Unbelievable! She left 10 toddlers all by themselves to take a pee. Some of these kids were up on the bonk bed, others were sleeping and others were playing on the floor. I have no issues with anyone answering nature's call, but she could have put them in care of some older colleague and not leave them unguarded. Imagine a child rolled off the bonk bed whilst sleeping, or another naughty one throws a toy and hit another on the head? Just make a mental picture of all sort of accidents that could happen with children...Omo, I drew rain that evening! Her excuse was she only stepped out some seconds ago. That's unlikely. My niece had red eyes as of someone crying over a long time. She was panting too. Haba! All these couldn't have happened in just a minute. My take was that she left the kids unattended to, because she simply wasn't expecting any parent to come for pick up just so soon. I warned the lady seriously that evening.
I was still fuming when I got home (please don't tell me I was being too dramatic), and my sister met me in that state so I narrated my experience. Gbam! We drove back to the school immediately. Proprietress was around then and she didn't understand how my oh-so-gentle sister that she knows could be so pissed. The school spent the better part of the term apologizing to my sister and they became more careful with the kids (I can say that because I noticed the changes. The school was the first to report any bruise or scratch on my niece even before we noticed and they'll apologize seriously and even slipped in that they know my sister wouldn't take it nicely but I should kindly explain things to her...lol).
You see, with kids, you have to be extra careful and dedicated. Agreed that they can be a handful sometimes, but that goes without saying. How does a working mum keep her kid in your care for a fee, and then come back from the day's work only to find her baby with a bruise or a broken arm? How na? It's wrong on all grounds. It's painful for parents to leave their kids in someone else's care because they have to ''work for this money''. So, when they do, treat the child with utmost care and priority. Don't even get me started on some crèches that wouldn't give your baby any food to eat all day simply because ''they forgot'' or ''the baby refused to eat'', and you come back to meet the nicely packed lunch box you woke up by 5am to prepare for him/her, untouched.
I was talking to a friend who has three kids, and while she was narrating her crèche experiences with me, she said something that struck me. She said, ''even if I have 10 children, I will take care of each of them like I have just one child''.
I really cannot feel what a mother feels when she sees an injury on her baby's body (I have no child yet), but I know what I feel as a doting aunt, and it isn't close to nice. Little wonder my dad avoided all the crèche drama and mumsi had to stay at home and take care of us. Daddy did the hustle. I knew my dad would have
If I leave my kid in your care and you charge me for it and I pay, I deserve and demand maximum care and attention for him/her. It's that simple.
What do you guys think? Should a woman leave her job and cater for the kids when the option of crèches have been explored and isn't working? Personally, I will advice that if the lady must work, she should have a job that is flexible enough to afford her to be at home latest by 5pm or 6pm. The man can work for later hours. Or, if the lady has a demanding job with a good pay and the man has a flexible work time and closes from work earlier, he can hold the forte pending when the wife comes back later. Or you can have a relative stay with you, or a mother or a mother-in-law, pending when the child is old enough and can take care of his/herself.
Whichever rocks their boat...
In all of these, children should not be left at the mercy of nannies or crèches or wicked people for no offense of theirs. They didn't ask to be brought to the world, you did, so make sure you have elaborate plans that'll be ''convenient'' for the kids and wouldn't stress them out. Their formative years are a crucial part of their lives and shouldn't be spent in neglect.
You agree with me on this? Please share your thoughts guys!
Barby.
Deep one......this cannot be far-fetched as if this Aunt, doesn't go to answer 'call-of-nature" she may have other reasons that will keep her away someday, sometime.......the best bet, is to have an assistant (A back-up) aunt for such times. But having a mother-in-law or relative to take care of the kid till a reasonable age is much more tenable than creche stuffs. Most creche are there to make money and doesn't really have the Aunt-kid relationship or what we generally term 'Passion for kids' in them.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. Most crèches are only in the business for the money. It's a pitiable situation, and the kids are at the receiving end. There's this peace you have when you're in the office and you are sure that your child is well taken care of by family. But then again, when family lives with a new couple, it is not always a good idea. This is a Catch 22 situation where you have to choose the lesser of two evils.
DeleteThanks for the comment.