Tough Love

 

So for Valentine’s day, my daughter’s school  said I should give my daughter a gift cos she picked Wendy *not real name* to be her “val”.

 This was in addition to bringing a love feast food item and wearing an outfit that had red, pink and white They didn’t write the word “or” anywhere so my house helps insisted we put all the colors on her to avoid school trouble …I was too tired to argue… so they did. The girl looked like a female Christmas tree on her way out on valentine’s day morning  if you can imagine what that  would look like.

 So back to the gift…. Honestly off the top of my head I planned to give her two hair pins that had flowers on them from my collection to give the  Wendy girl.

 Hallooo!!! What is their own with val’s day and how much does she earn to want to give Wendy a gift…. bla bla bla…. I was going my stingy mum route…. that’s what PDoc. calls me when I start like that….Why should we do party pack for her  birthday when it falls on a school day? Why should the school ask me to buy her a rabbit, a guitar, a violin, bring bouncing castle, do T-shirts for the kids???…. bla bla bla…the school is great God knows they have turned my daughter’s life around but you know great has its own price tag!

 So I got talking with one of my friends whose son picked a “val” as well.  “What are you giving your son to give his val?” I asked….. very absentmindedly I might add

 She then said she was going to close early from work and go and buy the val boy an outfit as in shirt and trouser…AH!! I panicked went full gear into stingy mum mode….”What are you doing? You people are the ones ,making life difficult for other mums putting us on high jump”…bla bla bla I shrieked on.

 She says” Haba!! it’s nothing now, a full outfit will cost like just 1,500 naira now that’s not too much”.. then I begin to think honestly I must really be a crazy, stingy mum.

 

So I get home in the evening to meet PDoc. planning to take our daughter out to buy Wendy’s gift because short of pulling out  a gun, she had held the man to ransom…. give me valentine gift my father or they will embarrass me in school tomorrow oooooooo!!!!

 The man was in panic mode himself…Ah! these teachers are goooooodddd put fire on the kids so they transfer the fire to their parents and this is not even about world peace…smh!!!.

 Anyway I told him not to worry, I go into my securely hidden “Ghana must go” of unused treasured items for the kids, bring out a complete set of brand new precious, sacred white underwear, ribbons for hair and hairpins, put them into a lovely chiffon bag and package it like Wendy is Kate Winslet herself and as I pack it into my daughter’s bag, I pray to God that Wendy or whoever picked my daughter’s name gives her a Range Rover even if it’s the mini type that David Beckham’s children drive…its far better than rolling tyre down the streets of Lagos!!!

 Meanwhile one of my house-helps who also goes to school used the opportunity to speak …”Aunty they said I should bring gift too oh… I picked one boy like that, though I did not want to pick him I wanted to pick my friend Chi Chi” *also not real name* …at this point I had no energy to speak…I just stretched out my hand and gave her a copy of a Tuface Cd that I got for free at an Airtel event in 2012….I  had been wondering what I would do with it. It has finally gone to a noble cause. I believe this was its destiny…To whom it may concern.

 So school is over…my baby comes home. No Range Rover in sight. Same old school bus.

No issues…. how about an invitation to tea with the queen? or Ok one Cinderella ball gown she can wear next Christmas? 

Nope! not today….searched the bag…not looking heavier than usual…

Aha! There it is…Alas you would never guess… Twas a cup…. A pink plastic  cup. Didn’t even have a straw attached!!! Just a cup. Nope not a magical cup, not a set of 3 or 4 or a set of 4 and a jug.

Just a plastic cup …. You read me right I said a plastic cup…pink …I refuse to take a picture of it…you might cry for me Argentina!

 

Even my house helps laughed at my expression of ……bewilderment!!!! Aha! that should be the perfect word for my reaction.

And I find myself thinking why don’t I have more friends like Wendy’s mum?

They really know what’s up!! These my friends are just Kardashians as far as I’m concerned  and they are not helping me at allllll.

That’s how one carried bouncing castle and clown to the school for her son’s birthday in the name of he is her only child for now and she works so hard so let her spend this money on him…..

 Now that’s what I call tough love!! The love is tough on the pocket!!! Haba! Mothers in Africa and diaspora am I alone here?