Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

I saw a woman’s post congratulating widows for bringing up their children single-handedly and could not help, but agree with her. My niece, a Form One girl at a Nairobi school, spent her mid-term holidays with us, and I had a chance to interact with her and her mum, who stays in Mombasa. Her greetings, ‘shikamoo auntie, ’ first caught me off-guard as I wasn’t sure if responding ‘marahaba’ would sound as it should. I mean, I have only read about these words in my primary school books! 

Her mother was keen to inform me of the things she would need before going back to school, and being in Form One, I assumed them to be few. We spent nearly Sh10,000, if not more, in just one weekend, which left me wondering about her other three children.

The amount of money we spent on this one child was one thing. What caught my eye was this girl’s character. 

Breed a child of noble character

She was respectful, polite and well-mannered throughout her stay. She took her time to study and finished all her homework in time. She related well with my children and was kind to my house help. She spoke and told stories and was not shy to go for a second helping when eating. I had to congratulate her mother for raising such an upright child when I found a chance.

See, we are known to blame parenting failures on the absence of a father figure in the home. I have also seen many people, especially on social media, discouraging men from dating single mothers, claiming that the burden is huge. However, things on the ground are different. Many hardworking women hack parenting alone and have raised incredible children. Knowing the efforts their parents put in to ensure their sustenance, some of these children work extremely hard to ensure they succeed.

On this day, I celebrate everyone who isn’t afraid to go it alone. I celebrate everyone who is both a father and mother to their child. Walk with your head high because you accomplish what many couples still struggle with.