“You are a wicked mother”, by Francis Ewherido

Photo from nigerdeltatoday

"What kind of child are you?" the mother asked her daughter, who refused to follow her instruction. When the mother still insisted on the daughter doing what she thought was not appropriate, the daughter said, "What kind of mother are you? You are a very bad mother."

Many were shocked, scared, and did not know what to say about a trending video last week on TikTok and other social media platforms. A content creator approached a mother and daughter who were walking down the street. The content creator asked the woman to ask her daughter to kiss his friend for N100,000.

 At first, the daughter and mother were shocked at the strange and audacious request. Then they discovered that the content creator was not joking when he showed them the N100,000. The reaction of the mother and daughter differed: Greed overcame the mother. She pressured her daughter to kiss a total stranger. At first, she thought her mother was joking. Then she felt very ashamed when she saw that her mother was serious. She swore that she would never agree to her mother's request. The mother fell to the ground. She tried to convince the daughter to relent, but the daughter refused.

At a point, the daughter even threatened to hit the mother. It was that bad. The content creator asked the mother if she could do it. She said no, but it would be all right for her daughter to do it since she needed the N100,000. Although she said she answered "no" because "I am an old woman," I believe she would have gladly done it if she were alone. 

She even mentioned her older daughter would have done it for her. The elder daughter is referred to as a "good and obedient child," yet the one in the video is referred to as a "useless and disobedient" child. This is the way that certain parents are bringing up their children. The "good children" in society are those who don't obey rules, but those who have morals are left behind. But this is demarketing of the worst sort for the older daughter because people who know her might now have other ideas about her because of the desperate and irresponsible utterances of her mother.

I was not at all surprised by the woman's misconduct. I know that some mothers and fathers do worse. Three weeks ago, we spoke about mothers and fathers who sell their properties to send their children out to prostitution and parents who purchase children's phones and laptops to use in internet fraud. Some parents, if given the chance, would use their children for money rituals. Some parents sell their children. So, what this woman did is not the worst thing in the world. It is worse because it was recorded. It is like a thief who got caught for stealing when many other thieves stole and were not punished. Yet, what happened reinforces my argument that the problems in our society today were not caused by the government alone. They begin at home.

Yet, there is something so satisfying. Even though parents have bad values, and some do grow up with them, they don't always do what their parents have done. Human beings can establish different patterns for themselves. There is a saying that "the apple does not fall far from the tree," and it's supposed to say "like mother, like daughter." Fortunately, not all trees are apple trees; some fruits fall farther away from their original trees, and that is exactly what this young woman did. She is certainly not an apple.

But perhaps the older sister whose presence the mother spoke of follows the mother's example more closely. This would explain why the mother expected similar behavior from the younger daughter. However, we should not let financial pressures drive us to unethical actions, regardless of our circumstances. The woman receives N200,000 every month from her husband, who does not live with her.

She also performs housecleaning jobs to augment the income her husband receives, so she likely makes more than three times the N70,000 minimum wage that the majority of Nigerians receive. While it is still a small amount compared to the cost of living, some women receive much less each month and would not resort to the rude behavior she exhibited. My second reaction today is an abad video in a school. The girl student was in class with some male students (I am sorry; I don't want to watch the video again to get the exact number). I don't know what had happened previously, but the boy is most likely a bully. 

I know them because I was in school with some of them in primary and secondary school. They are never satisfied until they hurt or embarrass their target. The boy student likely acted as the aggressor when he approached the girl student where she was standing. He stood up straight, facing her with their bodies in contact. It can be taken to mean standing up straight to fight or that he wished the girl's breasts would touch him. Boys at that age do that for mischievous reasons.

The male students all turned around to watch a fight. The girl student was hit hard by him. When she lay still for a moment before taking off her uniform to cover her undies, which were showing when she was hit the ground, my heart skipped a beat. The guys in the class all cheered. The mission was completed. She was made to feel bad, and seeing her underwear made it even worse.

 As I watched, I had a lot of feelings and thoughts. Let me leave it at that: If she were my daughter... This area is open to everyone. Two, schools have a responsibility to take care of your kids while they are there. Before you send your kids to school, make sure they know they have to do this. Third, girls and kids with disabilities are more likely to be hurt at school. Also, teach them to be bold and fight for their rights. Help them be happy with who they are. However, they should be polite, as is expected of all children. Four, they shouldn't put their lives in danger when they are in danger. Instead, they should get help right away. A child who has died is gone for good. No matter what punishment is given, your child will never come back. Five, teachers should be good examples for the kids they are in charge of. Two male teachers in Delta State recently got into a fight to the death in front of their children. What kind of crap is that?

Parents, don't raise kids who will beat their wives. If you're tired of your wife, it's better to get a divorce or separate from her than to beat her. It's not okay to hit your wife or partner. You should enjoy your marriage, not just get through it. Show your boys how to behave. Stop treating your guys like they are better than their sisters and moms. 

A lot of the blame for this situation lies with mothers. Junior isn't going to clean his plates after meals. The girls need to do it. He doesn't want to help with housework. In the end, you raise monsters and let them loose on society. Parents should teach their boys and girls how to be good people at home.