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Writer's pictureChinwe Njoku

Train up a child

If you’re of the Christian worldview or have been around those that are, you may be able to complete this blog post title.

Before we go on, I apologise for my later than normal post. I am committed to posting every weekend but that didn’t happen this past weekend. The upside of that is you’re getting two posts this week!!

So back my first thought. Just in case you’re not sure of what completes that sentence, it is found in Proverbs 22 v 6: Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I was doing some cleaning yesterday and found a bunch of empty pens I have been stacking and I know why I was keeping them. No, I’m not that crafty to create some elaborate decoration out of them. It’s simply a habit I have had since secondary school.

I went to boarding school which meant I got provisions at the start of each term that was meant to last the whole term. I say “meant to”, because they did not always make it that far. One of the things that seemed to walk away from me was my pens. And my parents had to keep replacing them.

So my mother came up with this ingenious idea to give me N10 for every empty pen I brought back home at the end of term. My people, that was a great motivator. I would hound people if they didn’t return any pens I lent them. I’ll even tell them to give it back to me even if it was empty.

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In fact, I noticed myself three Sundays ago clocking a sister in church who I’d lent my pen, like, please return my pen oh, without really saying so. Just looking back at her and thankfully, she got the message and returned it to me.

Moral of the story? Money is a great tool to get children to do what you want them to and to save you unnecessary spending. Isn’t it said that you make money with money?

Next one, if you’re Nigerian or maybe even African, your mother may have stored plastic (nylon) bags like they were about to become extinct. Well, it’s not hard to see how having seen that for years, I now do the same thing myself!

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You know that saying of, children do what you do, not what you say? It’s the real deal. Whatever you want to see happen needs to go beyond words to become a lifestyle. If you want your children not to gossip, don’t. Not to look raggedy, then don’t. Not to be shouters, you mustn’t be one either. You get my point.

Be the person you want those you lead to become.

Last one, growing up we had floor rags in the kitchen and bathroom. Anywhere that had a slight chance of being wet had its own floor rag. Not kidding, I have one in my kitchen and shower room now.

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When friends or repairmen come to my house, sometimes they pick them up off the floor and keep on the kitchen counter or bathroom sink, thinking they’re helping. Who send you? Lol.

But I guess because the rags look so clean, they think they shouldn’t be on the floor. My brother has reported the same thing happens in his house. I just smile and put it back where it belongs.

My husband may think different of this floor rag business when I get married. But we’ll have to wait and see.

Anyway, I hope y’all are doing great, getting out more and enjoying your life? If you need some joy infusion, then order my new book on Amazon. And let me know what you think of it.

To your building strange but good habits, . . .

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