Living in Nigeria makes you understand the vagaries of life especially as mothers. I have visited a few families and friends in many countries of the world like; the US, the UK, Switzerland even South Africa. But in all my visits to these countries, one thing they all have going for them is their effective use of modern day technology/house-helps. I noticed that there is a maid for almost every of their house hold chores- A maid that washes clothes only (the Washing machine), one that dries the clothes (The Dryer), one that washes the plates ( The Dish Washer) and the list goes on.
The dynamism of technological innovations in the modern world has largely invaded the sphere of parenting which leaves the average Nigerian mom aspiring. From the inventions of the microwaves, the dish washers, washing machines, water heaters and the likes to child car seats, all in an effort to make life a little easier for the working mom. The modern day working mom comes home from work, whatever the time, puts the frozen meals into the microwave, starts up the washing machine, turns on the water heater and still has time to take care of other needs. The average Nigerian working mom on one hand misses out on some of these luxuries, and the un-enabling environment is largely the cause, with consistent power interruptions, power glitch and surges, the Nigerian mom is left out of this luxury no matter how hard she tries.
The activities of the average Nigerian working mom is second to none, she is the gem that knows it all, and can be the best at what she does, be a mom, as the modern technological innovations evolve, so does her uncanny ability to be that natural, caring, understanding, tough and exceptional friend and with the aid of a house help, who complement the working mom, but amidst all the jollies of the extra pair of hands, the house help can be quite a hand full and can be more pain than pleasure, they can have very negative impacts on the working mom, sleeping with madams husband, speaking pidgin and foul languages which kids tend to pick up far too easily among a host of other negative effects. Do the maids have any positive side? If you ask me apart from helping out with chores et al, the maid could be a companion, your sister, or even confidant if you like. I know this will sound impossible to some women. But it is possible but we must get it right from day one. But the way and manner we recruit our maids matters a lot. Is the maid a professional, who ordinarily will know what is expected of her, or just one child who desperately wants to go to school but due to her parents inability to send her to school, she ends up in your home. Whatever is the story behind your own maid, try as much as possible to treat her well and with respect too. Having said that, the Nigerian mother has a lot lot more to deal with than her American counterpart. But is the Nigerian mom measuring up? The answer is a loud and resounding YES!
However, the Nigerian mom has a lot to consider while juggling between job, life and family even though she is highly accredited for her strength in dynamism, and tendency to always pull up surprises, she always finds a way of breaking new grounds and still be the worlds best mom. We are winning! Congratulations to every mom who is balancing it all!
MMDG
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