‘Mimi siwezi beba mtoto kwa mgongo…’
Nashika mtoto, akilala ndo nitafanya…’
What madness is this? I’ve heard it so many times over the
last 3 months that I really had to open my eyes and look at the common practice
around going about your business in the house with a baby. At first I thought
it was only lazy house-helps who use that excuse to sit and watch telly all day.
Then I noticed that many young mothers do not strap their baby’s to their
backs.
Early this year I had a rough day with my then house-help as
I tried to make ‘working-at-home’ work. Since I could not do any serious work
with the baby I wanted her to take baby and work as it I was away from work. so
at 7:30 am she says, give me an hour, I’ll be ready for baby, so I give her the
hour… cutting a long story short, at 11 am she finally finished the laundry and
wanted to start cleaning the sitting room and thus was not ready for baby. I
strapped baby to my back and cleaned the sitting room, cleaned the kitchen,
made lunch, picked and sorted the dry laundry and then asked her what other
work does she have that she cannot do with baby so that I can get on with my
work. She was a mother of 2 and this was her first time in Nairobi. You can see
why she had to go.
My current house-help says she finds it hard to work while
carrying baby because she’s afraid baby will fall off as she carries on with
her duties. But the reason she is still with me is that she has found a way of
doing her chores while actively engaging baby so that baby is more company than
a hindrance.
As I grew up, I was carried on the back as mum and the help
went about their business, I saw my sister carried the same way and my brother.
Laundry was done, shopping was done, cooking was done, hell even gardening and
construction supervision. That is one of the most amazing and quintessential
quality of African motherhood! My grandma told me, in their day they dug a hole
in a nice spot in the shamba, lined it with hides and created a hedge/fence
with dry sticks to keep away wild animals and when baby was sleepy or the work
to be done was not friendly to baby carrying, baby would be put into this hole
in the ground to sleep and play.
.jpg) |
| You can't deny how elemental this is! |
Today baby carrying is fancy and even fashionable… I don’t get
it. I just don’t get it. I see one too many young mothers frustrated that they
can’t do anything with baby.
So while you try and ponder the weight of my sentiments just
know that bougie Tindi here is proud to
say she once helped her mama cook for guests and arrange for the visit all with
little baby strapped to her, suckling at his pleasure. Carrying baby while you
work is inbuilt and natural. Try it.
 |
| This is a toto sling, I love it! loook at more here |
No comments:
Post a Comment