I like to think of this space as my respite,somewhere I sometimes just want to sound off,somewhere I can bare my mind or just rant without necessarily feeling like I am ‘revealing too much’ or anything like that. It is funny how I am a private person but I can chit chat or hold a conversation with almost anybody for hours( except I just absolutely do not want to). Writing on here is usually not planned per se but I am trying to get some sort of structure and order to my writing🙈🙊 Am I saying this too often?😀
Earlier this month was Nicole’s 9th birthday😀Yipeee! She had been singing in my ear how she looks so forward to being 9 as she would now be pre teen(Don’t even ask me how 9years is preteen😒) However,her 10th birthday is the one she says we must throw a party for,I am just looking at her somehow especially since she made me promise to start saving towards her 10th birthday😂😂😂.
Anyway,our 9th birthday was on a Thursday,she was still writing exams and her school has a policy that ensures pupils can only celebrate birthdays on Fridays regardless of what day of the week it falls.
On Wednesday night,we talked about the birthday and I asked her what she wanted. She said she would like party packs for her friends and a size 10 or 12 cake😨 I told her I had no plans for cake this birthday,at least not right now. She sighed and said she somehow guessed so but she would have liked to have cake. I felt somewhat bad so I asked her why she wanted cake and just maybe…

Turns out she wanted cake because that is the norm in the school,pupils bring cake,and trust some parents,each trying to outdo the other in size and design. I didn’t know how to pass my message across to her without seeming like it was a bad thing to want cake. I told her we’ll talk about it later.

However,I went to bed ruminating on what to say and what not to say. See this parenting, it is not easy. I take my parenting duties seriously because I look at my life and realize that the kind of parents I have had a large role to play in how I turned out and who I am today.

The next morning,I woke and I asked her what happens to the cake ,she said part of it is shared by teachers and the other part sent home. I said do your friends have some of the cake,she said no, because you can’t give things to people’s children to eat without their consent. So I asked her so we are basically baking cake to impress other people and for people you don’t really know to share and then we keep the rest in the freezer for months ,yea?

Knowing Nicole,I told her if she really wanted the cake,I would call and place the order for it but she should know it is not part of the budget,I would squeeze myself to accommodate it. She came back to me and asked me what I wanted to do? I said it was up to her,I had planned to make party packs for her friends and classmates and send refreshment to her teacher. Her face lit up and she said okay mum,I’ll be happy with the party packs.😀

So,we did just that and it was a win win. Now,I love cakes and I think it is important that we create memories as much as possible. However we must from time to time check our reasons for wanting the things we want especially when it is not convenient. I have learnt long ago to live my life without bothering so much about what others are doing.

The moment you let yourself fall into the trap of ‘living for people’ ,it is an endless race,you keep seeking approval and seeking validation from people who don’t even care whether you are in existence. Therefore, keeping up with the Joneses is a vicious circle that never ends. There really is no need to keep up with the Joneses,or buy stuff you do not need or cannot afford,be friends with people you have nothing in common with just to keep up a certain appearance. This also may apply to those who spend all their time ‘famzing’ with celebrities or spending do much time camping on their social media pages carried away by the pervieved glitz and glamour and killing themselves wishing and trying to be like them. Don’t kee yourself fa😒

If this is your story,stop it! Thou shall no longer kill yourself trying to ‘belong’.

Happy Easter People. Jesus did not die for you to live your life keeping up with awon Joneses. He died and rose on the third day that you may have abundant life😊.

This is me saying to you, Be Happy!

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