NO FUN ZONE ?

A preteen girl was not happy because her mom would not let her accept an invitation to her classmate's pool birthday party and she tearfully blurted out “Nigerian mummies are no fun!”

I think back to this and laugh out loud.

Moving to diaspora and raising children there is a learning curve for parents as the new environment provides a different way of life and opportunities which sometimes we are not willing to try based on our upbringing.

When I newly relocated to Canada the thought of going to a pool party was scary as I didn't know how to swim and was also scared of any body of water. Years later we enrolled our children in swimming lessons and later I did same; that was a very bold move for me.

From all I have learned in the almost two decades of diaspora living I highly recommend to parents new to diaspora to be open minded and put their fears aside. It is important that we learn about our new environment and create safe opportunities for our children to partake in activities gradually so they have some of the opportunities we did not have growing up.

For the first few years of settling in your new location your finances may determine how much disposable income you have so getting children into extracurricular activities may be difficult, please know that you can make up for this at home in various ways.

Post Covid has opened the door for online lessons and some are offered free of charge.

I know we are worried about screen time monitoring but if we can match our children’s interest to YouTube channels they subscribe to, what they learn from that will make the screen time a productive one.

My youngest child loves baking shows, crafts, and hands on stuff so our YouTube always suggests such shows.

We live in a screen era and the ball is in our hands to educate and instruct our children on the importance of being disciplined with what they watch. We can also join them in watching the shows as a family bonding time.

Another important thing to keep in mind is making time out for staycations. If funding is not available for vacation then try a staycation. Plan a picnic in your backyard or public park, go to the mall and eat out, bike riding, go for a drive around town sightseeing historic monuments, and so on. The purpose of vacation is to bond and have fun as a family, this can be done in various ways without breaking the bank.

Life is short, we can live each day well by making the most of the opportunity to be a family.

If you are new to diaspora life, welcome!

You have been graced by God to raise your child well.

Xoxo