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Alarm clock goes off! 6 a.m. WHY????? Why can’t I be left alone to sleep this sleep I have been anticipating for years? As a mummy, you kind of roll over and see pillows, so except you have human-engineered pillows, its on you to get up, get on and get moving. I start off by dedicating my day to the Lord. Then I prep talk myself on conquering the day. I mentally run through my wardrobe. Thinking about who? What? Where? Weight gain? And the most appropriate outfit. Somewhere in between my thoughts, “sunrise me-time” is shattered. “I DON’T WANT TO BRUSH MY TEETH, I WANT MY MUMMY TO BRUSH MY TEETH, MUMMMMMMMMMMMMMY, THEY WANT TO KILL ME!” My baby is extremely dramatic! Did he get it from his mummy? Maybe. I jump out of bed to rescue my son from his two nannies and attempted murder. Depending on the intensity of the yelling, I may or may not take over. It’s really important not to give in to toddlers; their primary goal is to conquer their parents and boast at their next toddler gathering. I won’t be a victim. So most times, I give him a prep talk about clean teeth and promise him Pringles. Now that I am thinking about it, I wonder if bribing is giving in. Hmmm. Although some mornings when I wake up on the other side, I just yell some Igbo phrases at him and stomp out. Maybe he respects my superior yelling or he is confused by the unknown language, either way he complies. His other brother is more morning compliant; his strategy is to quietly and quickly get ready for school and catch a quick snooze before breakfast. Off next door to my pre-teens. Seeing is believing. These dudes are chilling in towels like they are in the billionaire club sauna. Nahhhhh! This calls for a Mummy to Daddy switch. I have learned to play Daddy pretty well. So I deepen my voice, I may get a weapon of mass destruction and the avalanche starts. Yeah, I know that mothers have been asked to discussed issues and not resort to violence but I’m not a fan of all those Oyibo doctrines. I will raise hell and get these boys on track. The thing about being a single mom of four boys is that you have to get your armour ready. No slacking. Military style. Boys are not just boys, but growing men. So it is important for me to instil the right morals and virtues in them but it is most important to me to let them know that mummy is the boss. To get to the land of the stupid, they will have to pass through me and it’s gonna be a hell of a battle. Finally, they are off for breakfast and it’s time to get ready. No luxuries because I have like 10-15 minutes but I use it well. Being a mum is no excuse to look a hot mess. After much ado, we make it into the car. Oops, we didn’t pray so I put in a Praise CD … the Lord is much needed. Drop off is always emotional for me. As they walk into school, I think I say my most powerful prayers. Now off to work to start my hustle. A couple years ago, when I was a stay-home mom, my son asked me “What do you want to be when you grow up?”… I learned to take work very seriously. -SK