The Woman Child

The Woman Child

Mar 22, 2025 / ODUSOLA AYOMIKUN 

                          The Woman Child 

           As the song on the radio played, with the eccentric voice of Alicia Keys blasting off the speakers. I feel the urge to write, so I'll begin by relaying the lyrics of the song.

          'She's just a girl and she's on fire...' nice words, indeed thoughtful. First of I'm a guy, with no fret about writing a two or more paragraphs on the girl 

child. Cool, huh... I guess having two younger sisters and a lovely mum, is quite an experience and I feel, I've known enough if not rather much about females, forgive me generalizing cause I intend to make this a classless set up.

          So I thought what Daddy Adam felt when he beheld at first instance the sight of Mummy Eve. Guess he was rather thrilled or whatever a man feels on seeing a pretty lady; avoiding details I would say he was flabbergasted. So he named her Eve(Life giver) and called her a woman, the housekeeper of his missing ribs. Beautiful moments ensuring after, till she ate the fruit ; I guess.

          The birth of a girl child means 'the beginning'. They bear the seed of continuity in them, so kudos to the world for a generation carrier is born. At first she's oblivious of her surrounding; she stares in the eyes of her mother, of whom she's a prototype probably with a brighter smile. She's comforted for 

she's aware she has a role model and won't need googling to learn to become a mother.

         Family is wonderful. She's most times fondled by an elder brother and Dad calls her princess, a name she's jolly with as preferred to the name given on her eighth day on planet earth. Either she's being called Esther, Fiyin or Amina she's resolute to christen her Instagram @princess_chidera.

          Life continues till she's five when Mum calls her into the room one night after dinner. 'Precious' Mum begins. 'Yes Mummy'. Mum nods then sits up on the bed. 'Do you know you are a girl and not a boy?'. She perceives this to be a rhetorical question, but still she nods positive to Mum's expectant gaze. 'Good, very good and do you know that girls get pregnant'. Hmm..of course she knows that, she'd seen Aunt Ngozi move about with a big belly since three months, she's rather shocked cause Aunt Ngozi looks much younger than Mum. 'Yes Mummy'. Mum draws closer, 'Good, and do you want to be pregnant?'

          'If you don't want to be pregnant, don't let any boy touch you' These were Mum's final words that night, which she engraved in her heart, for she didn't 

wish to be like Aunty Ngozi, who's carrying a big belly with her small body. Then the following Monday morning, Bayo touched her shoulders on the assembly ground and she'd expected her tommy protruding since it's already a month but she'd been disappointed. Mum can't tell a lie, probably because Bayo said sorry; but Ben didn't. Guess she'll have to learn the truth in her biology class.

          While I was younger, I'd always admired Mum's Sunday hats, lovely made caps which looked like big round canopies, fancy enough for every gown or suits. They'd always kept mother's face away from the raging sun; Baba used no hat to church and wouldn't allow even the 'fila' beneath a church roof, so I'd always admired a treasure I'll never have, quite saddens; cause for the next time Mum went hat hunting, her formers would be dispatched off to Fiyin's inherited collection. Not to speak on her shoes.

          'And the girl child grew in wisdom and favour with God and man'. She's now an upper class girl child, who prefers being called a lady. She's developed some changes in her physique, such as she's seen all women do. She stares longer at her reflection off the mirror. For now and years to come, she'll either be mortified or mystified by her looks. She's already cutting out foams to cushion Mum's missing undergarments.

          She soon clocks sixteen, waiting on seventeen and life resembles 'The Rush Hour'. She's closer to 'the girls' now and Mummy need not pull or push her 

around any longer. She wants to enjoy the moment cause YOLO (you only live once); she doesn't want getting into the old lady's black book, all for but a 

cost. She says to herself "You've got this under control girl, you can do this". Well let's pray she doesn't get dropped out of school or end up with 

like Aunt Ngozi.

          She experiences her first heartbreak, then imminent betrayal from bestie. She's recited 'men are scum' a billion times, forgetting the masculines in her household. ''Why is the world so wicked?" She asks mother. "It's a wicked world out there my dear, you can only be appreciated by people who know your value". Mama Abike can never be wrong, so princess wipes her tears. She's gonna pursue her goals and somebody's son go love her one-day.

          Ten years flies by quickly, the girl child is now a woman. @Dr Grace#Health is Wealth, she's graduated a degree and as well badged herself a man; a Mrs Andrews in the making. Mother calls every relative she has to the event of that great day. She smiles at her beautiful daughter and wishes her a blissful union, safe enough for the next generations. She can't be more proud, only hope 

she gets the luxury trip to the US in the next nine months.

          And so the girl child becomes the woman child, she birth's her first offspring. She's happy; she now has a daughter of her own, a pretty and happy child who would one day become a fulfilled woman, a pride to her husband and builder of her home. Most important she'll be a Mother to all.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 🌹🌹🌹