By Adesewa Olofinko
"Woven into the fibre of my momma's spirit is the instinct to deeply nurture, and fiercely protect"
My name
is Adesewa, and you can call me Princess (actually, that is what my Momma calls
me). A little introduction; I call her Queen, and she is mother to 5+ 2 adorable
children.
Just
yesterday, almost everyone took to social media platforms and other forms to
say something about their Momma. It was the mothers’ day. I celebrate Mothers’
day every 2nd Sunday in the month of May, so for me, this came a little too
early. But then, wake me any time, I always have something to say about this
gift of a mum.
January 2013, my aunt who has 3 grown boys wanted a girl- child. So she came to Nigeria and adopted this cute little girl we named Motunrayo. While processing her travel documents, little Motunrayo had to move in with us. She was two, and mum's sleepless nights would begin again. I feared for her. She had to feed, clothe, and risk little Motunrayo messing up the entire place (let me give this fact from TY Bello's Ekundayo song, that 97% of children in orphanages never get adopted because there is still a stigma attached to adoption in Nigerian. What are we doing about this?). Eventually, mum had to visit the hospital more than usual because Motunrayo needed a surgery owing to the fact that she wasn't fed breast milk as a child. Well, it doesn't happen to all, but she was one of the few who had difficulty breathing because of this. To this end, she got all the attention. And silly me, I felt I have never seen my mum unabashedly protective. Well, a mother has got to be a mother, and to whoever is involved, the compassion is the same.
I've given you all so long a note to read...but
do you know that Queen wouldn't go to bed until we were all asleep? I have seen
her go on her knees more than anything - The Power of a Praying Woman! Mum is a
strong woman in all its definitions because even with tears in her eyes, she
still manages to say with a smile 'I'm okay'? Only a mother could pull off
something like that. AND I would dare to say that the role of a mother is so
powerful that the destinies of nations lie in her hands. Go all out and
celebrate your mother. To those who never felt the affection of a mother,
celebrate the mother figures in your life, and remember to say a prayer for all
distressing mothers in the world. We celebrate those of the Chibok girls too.
My Mother, My Wonder.
Let's talk about the mother's love - my mother's love if you will.
 |
| Adesewa and Mum (Princess and Queen) |
Lots and
lots of people have accused me of being too 'one-sided' with my mum. I often
get comments on why I have been silent about my dad. Well, I am a gifted
writer. And sometimes when I think about my mum, I can't but put pen to paper.
Plus, as a teenager, I was a spoilt version and I took it all out on my mum...
I'm grown, and still haven't been able to decipher what made me trash my meal those
days, locked myself in the room just to spite my mum. Well, my dad is an
amazing man, and yes, I'm currently writing his memoirs - he isn't even aware
of it.
Let's get
serious. The intensity of a mother's love is legendary. Stories of things
mothers have done in the name of preserving her children are written among the
chronicles of unforgettable experience. Nobody messes with a mother's
love, especially not mine. I grew up wondering why my mum was so gentle, so
compassionate, and unrepentantly loving. I felt people took advantage of that
but mum wouldn't budge. You got whatever you wanted, and if she couldn't provide it, she'll plead with you, and it often got me angry; “It's not like it
is so important, why are you begging him like that?!”
Life was
way too simple for her. She taught me to love independent of my feelings. Love,
she said, must be liberally given to all whether deserving or not. My mum
taught me how to get uncomfortable with holding grudges (took me years to learn
though), but thanks to the Holy Spirit who makes it so easy (I'm a Christian, yes, and
no matter how much I avoid it, I get a little spiritual spice on my write-ups).
Mum taught me to serve others. I thought she was people-pleasing; but in all,
she drove home the lesson that "to
kneel to greet a dwarf won't make you short".
 |
| Mrs. Agnes Olubukola Olofinko |
Momma
turned 57 in February... she doesn't visit the spa (though she gets 'home-
treats' once in months- my little sister is a pro at giving massages), nor
engage in regular exercises (except for her evening walks), but she looks like she's
40! From a woman who would do whatever must be done to ensure the well-being of
her children, even if it meant going hungry or saying no to 'owambe' and 'Aso ebis'! As a little child, I watched my mum lose friends at
the speed of light simply because she would rather support her family than go
all out cladded in the latest designs. She had grown up in affluence and later
adjusted to starting small and humbly with dad through, both of which have
produced 5 amazing kids who are fulfilling purpose in diverse fields. Woven
into the fibre of my momma's spirit is the instinct to deeply nurture, and
fiercely protect. Allow me share a short story.
January 2013, my aunt who has 3 grown boys wanted a girl- child. So she came to Nigeria and adopted this cute little girl we named Motunrayo. While processing her travel documents, little Motunrayo had to move in with us. She was two, and mum's sleepless nights would begin again. I feared for her. She had to feed, clothe, and risk little Motunrayo messing up the entire place (let me give this fact from TY Bello's Ekundayo song, that 97% of children in orphanages never get adopted because there is still a stigma attached to adoption in Nigerian. What are we doing about this?). Eventually, mum had to visit the hospital more than usual because Motunrayo needed a surgery owing to the fact that she wasn't fed breast milk as a child. Well, it doesn't happen to all, but she was one of the few who had difficulty breathing because of this. To this end, she got all the attention. And silly me, I felt I have never seen my mum unabashedly protective. Well, a mother has got to be a mother, and to whoever is involved, the compassion is the same.
My Mother, My Wonder.
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