Locked-down by my Niece

Hi Lovers,

It is another Friday!

So today, I am here wondering how mothers cope with being a mother and other stuff.

In the early stage of the lock-down, I was actually happy to work from home. This is because I thought I would have all freedom and peace working from the comfort of my room without disturbance from any colleague.

I was not prepared for the real gangster at home in the person of my lil niece Oma!! No one warned me that I was about to enter one chance. What didn't occur to me was the fact that I would end up baby sitting in the lock-down. Oh mehnn! Lol. I am experiencing some of the wonders of being a mother.

So I have a cute niece, her name is Oma. For me, lockdown meant being free to work from home, while for my niece Oma, lockdown meant no more creche!  She has made it a point of her duty to occupy my hands with her demands and whinnings.

Guys, she will cry without taking permission, she is always on a mission to scatter things, she finds it cool to smash my phone on the floor and laugh about it like its funny (to her alone of course lol), she will not sleep long on her bed except it is on my chest when I am in middle of meetings, she chooses that the best time to cry or laugh is when I am in the middle of a conference call and she will reward me with her cute smile when I am feeling frustrated by my efforts to calm her down.

I often wonder if she is aware of what she is doing? Lol Lawd!!

At times when I think she is finally asleep, I sneak around my room, tip toeing and holding my breath, then she will suddenly open her eyes and smile at me with a victorious smile that says ''Aunty I have come again, we die here''

Yo! baby sitting is not even the ish, but having to combine it with my work, deadlines, and  my personal life is a whole lot of course on its own. I also figured it is doable hence I skillfully innovated means of tricking her to sleep or be calm.

Here are some of the tricks and skills I have innovated in making her sleep just as she has developed skills in disrupting my work lol:

 1. I carry her across my back when I need to free my two hands
2.  I let her play with my Nokia torch when I need to send an email
3.  I sing lullaby remixed with her name when she is restless for no just cause
4. I swing her in my arms to make her feel like closing her eyes (it works like magic)
5. I rub her forehead to sort of hypnotize her to sleep (real magic)
6. I face the fan/AC a bit close to her to seal the deal and make her eyes fatigue
7. I avoid eye contact, so she knows its not play time
8. I use the pillow around her when she is asleep so she thinks I am still holding her but in real sense, I don wah

Then there is silence and I am able to work again! It is a win win!

This got me wondering how mothers cope? How did my mother cope with 9 children and her businesses she was controlling? How are my sisters coping?

I am currently carrying out a research on how to cope with a baby and work, share with me  your experiences and some tips biko.

PS: Monday is her birthday. She will be 1. Help me wish her a happy birthday in the comment section below.

xoxo
Anurheeka