Me: Daniella, wake up, it’s 6 am, we need to start getting ready. Daniella: Good morning Mummy, I ‘sleep well’. Me: Mango, it should be I slept well, it’s past tense. Daniella: Ok, “I slept well”. Me: Please thank me for teaching and correcting you. Daniella: thank you Gozie. Me: what?????? You have started calling me Gozie again?????

Daniella: I need money to go to the library today, fifty naira will take me to the library. Me: *(avoiding money talk maka that hundred piam) ok I will take you to the library after fellowship tomorrow. Daniella: Mummy, I want to take rice and meat to school. Me: why rice? You take sealed snacks and then eat rice and moi moi and meat after school when you get home. There’s moi moi and jollof rice and goat meat. Daniella: a boy in my class brings rice and I want to copy him.

Me: Mamaoooo, you don’t need to copy anybody, be yourself. Take doritos and yoghurt and berries today, ok? Any day you want rice I give you but not because you want to copy any boy.

Do you understand the lesson in this? Be you.

Next week, you take Okpa to school ok? Daniella:(dancing and raising her hands and shouting happily) yessssss, (hugs me) you’re a great mummy, you’re a good mummy, I love Okpa. I will take it every day, every day. Me: good, I will make it for you without plenty of pepper ok? You know I love you?

Daniella: Yes I know. I love you too. I love Aunty Ify and Oge, Oge in Dallas. I love sister Chisom and Coco, Aunty Joy, my brother my brother, aunty Ngozi, Aunty Ngozi mummy, Chidi in church, Ify, errrmmmmm I love…….( the list continues but I am tired.) Daniella: you always shout. Me: yes I shout ooooo, that’s my default setting. I have even reduced the shouting, ask your siblings especially Coco and sista Chisom. I was shouting more when they were your age. Biko leave me alone oooo, I have not shouted this morning and I will not shout today.

Daniella: you promise? Me: don’t make me shout, I make a conditional promise. Ok I promise. Daniella: the bus is here Mummy Me: not your bus, it’s another bus. (OMG!!!! It is her bus!!! They came 5 minutes early. I don’t mind, let her go before she remembers her money and my shouting) Inukwa m discussing my shouting, ohhhhh Chi mmmmmm!!! Now that I don’t even shout anymore if you had met me in my 20s what would you have said? Ask those before you! !