When a child is born, a mother is born too. None of us really know the depth of this word- mother- until we begin our journeys with our little ones. A journey that is full of ups and downs.

I have found that this journey has made me interrogate two things more deeply. First, who am I really? Second, who do I want to become? A solid understanding of my identity has been instrumental in setting the psychological environment in which I am bringing up my children, so I have had to be more self-aware. This includes having the courage to explore things I only felt and thought about at a sub-conscious level, like causes of shame and fear among other daunting topics. Most importantly, I have been learning that my journey of growth can be an open book for my children to learn from.

In the past, Africans passed on their wisdom through oral stories. We are now in the digital age, and things are quickly evolving. Africans have become more intentional about telling their own stories and re-writing their history, in their own words, sharing their world views with future generations. As African parents, the age we live in gives us a unique opportunity to easily document our stories and life lessons for generations to come.

There is such depth of wisdom that comes with the experience of having faced a challenge and overcome it. Or having failed. I think there is value in sharing our stories of growth with our children and future generations to help them know that they are not alone in their journey of growth. People create all sorts of tool kits, resource packs and methodologies to give instructions on how to get things done. I think our collective life experiences, lessons and hindsight can help children create and customize their own ‘How to do life tool kit’, giving the next generation insights and resources to face life.

In Africa, there is a saying that a child is raised by the village, alluding to our social culture that helps us feel connected to our families and friends in a special African way. It means that children in our culture can have many ‘parents’ in society. This platform is for people who would like to share their life lessons so that we, as a continental village, can pass some wisdom to the next generation together. We may not be able to influence the past, but we must influence the future.

Yours sincerely,

African Mom