My Mama Taught Me…

Life, , 18 Comments
All my life, my father was everything (this may be because I am a daddy’s girl 😁) and my mom was just MOM. You see, my mother (HC) quit her bank job when she was pregnant with me and became a housewife for over 15 years.  

I admire my mom a lot because not only did she instil godly values in my siblings and me, but she played a major role in shaping my personality and my outlook to life. Over the course of my education, I have taken a couple of learning & education classes and I understand the effort required to cater to the various learning needs of different people. My siblings and I are all very different, yet my mother (and father, too) raised us without any manual or training on how to raise children. Over time, I have come to see that some of her practices/ judgements that I thought were ‘unfair/unequal’ way back then were indeed fair. I love you, mom. I’m thankful for you & I celebrate you everyday!!
Today, I share some of the lessons I have learned from my Mama.
1.     Always Put God First: In EVERYTHING, and I repeat, EVERYTHING that my mom does, she puts God first! It is no wonder that her life has turned out the way it has.
2.     Build and Maintain Relationships: Even though I live far away from my mother, she still reminds to reach out to loved ones and those I care about. “When last did you speak to Aunty/Uncle XYZ or your friends back home? That’s not good; you need to call him/her once you are free,” she says to me. She has close friends she’s known for like forever!
3.     Admit When You Are Wrong and Apologize: From what I’ve heard, very rarely do Nigerian parents apologize or admit their mistakes to their children. My mother has never been scared or too proud to do so. Two nights ago, we got into a misunderstanding and she went all ‘preach mode’ on me. I was really hurt and she heard it in my voice so, 5 minutes later, she called and apologized. *Don’t do that again, Mom, LOL.*
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Mama and her “Awesome Foursome” as she commonly refers to us as.
4.     Work Hard & Be the Best That You Can Be: I call my mom a fairytale princess because her life has been very magical (“All thanks to God” she always says). However, my mom works really hard, and she seeks to improve herself in so many ways. God knows if I had a Harvard degree, that would be the end of my relationship with education!
5.     Keep Your Relationship Fun & Interesting: My mother is a prankster like no other, and her usual victim is my dad. One Christmas eve, she saw a gift he got for her before he had wrapped it. She took the gift, wrapped it and presented to him on Christmas Day. Another time, she replaced his opened can coke with water while he wasn’t looking, and he drank the water and then realized it no longer tasted like coke. She’s wrapped his old sweater and given to him as his Christmas gift (she had other gifts she later gave him), addressed blank romantic cards he bought for her to him, etc, etc. This woman is constantly playing one prank or the other. While the pranks are usually funny, especially for the spectators and accomplices (usually me and my siblings), they keep their marriage interesting and fun (Dating Tip).
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I want love like this too!
6.     Be Fashionable: My mother is a fashion “Killer” (for lack of better terms) and proof that you can look classy, be highly fashionable and still be dressed decently.
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Slay, Mama!!
7.     Be on Time: My mom emphasizes the importance of keeping to time and demands that we do not keep people waiting. (She gets upset when we are even some minutes late to church or an appointment; NO jokes!). She insists we must inform people ahead of time if we will be even some minutes late.
8.     Show Love to Others Including Strangers: It is very easy to show love to people that you love like your children, friends, etc. but how about to strangers and people in need? My mom gives generously to everyone, including strangers she meets on the way. I remember that once I asked my mom for money and she told me she had no money to give me. Shortly after, when someone approached her with an actual need for money, she had money to give. Then, I looked at her like, “So, this is how you behave?” but now, I respect her so much for teaching me “Put Others First”. I still remember how she flew across different time zones to surprise my brother and I in boarding school so she has been forgiven for that behavior, lol.
9.     Be Yourself, Love Yourself, Don’t think of yourself as superior to another person, Laugh, Be happy and cheerful, Respect others, Be a Giver, Be Gracious, Be Honest & Kind, and
10.Live Life to the Fullest!
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These are just a few of the many things that I have learned from my mother’s life. I hope that you picked one or two lessons here.
 Thank you, mom, and to all the beautiful and amazing mothers out there, YOU Rock and we are thankful for you all! Happy Mother’s Day

–Shasha

18 thoughts on “My Mama Taught Me…”

  4. Great piece Sasha. Never met your mum in person but I have noticed the qualities you mentioned and even much more about her. God bless your mum

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  6. Great post! I’m loving the woman you yourself are becoming. I’m motivated by you to be a better me. Gods love and guidance always!
    XX

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  8. It’s tough to be around your mum and not be inspired… and not learn real life values by just watching her being her — being simply exceptional!

    She’s simultaneously caring and professional. Effortlessly, I have to add. Definitely on top of the list of inspiring people in my life I want to do proud.

    I join you to celebrate her!

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  9. I feel blessed knowing your mum.
    We are not that close but I feel very close to her and your family.
    I look forward to reading my daughter’s piece where she shares what she knows about me.
    Shalom!

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