Category: parenting

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My Son Is A Stuntman

One thing about having children is figuring out what their interests are and dreaming about their future careers.

As a Ghanaian, certain careers SHOULD be on top of my list. Doctor, Lawyer…….., Mad Scientist. (Just kidding. However, Ghana having a mad scientist could solve a lot of our problems)

As an artist however my career choices for my sons steer in the direction of unconventional and have caused my wife to give me the raised eyebrow and eyes popping out look that you see in Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Professional Video Gamer and stuntman is what I usually see when I visualize my first son’s future career.

I have to be honest though, the Professional Video Gamer is something I wish for him and not one that his life currently has revealed any evidence of being fulfilled.

The stuntman on the other hand……..

Let’s just say I am not that enthusiastic about it because of the thought of medical bills.

Now stuntman is not something I wish for my son but this kid does some cliff hanging moves that will make Tom Cruise proud.

This is not some of the time this is ALL the time. Our living room is like an action movie set with him jumping from chairs and balancing on head rests.

He had a toy car he used to drift with and I just bought him a motorcycle of which he is pulling moves that will have Mother’s wondering whether I am being a good parent by not getting him of the bike.

I however believe in encouraging and allowing kids to explore their interests. While I am not thrilled about stunts, I do acknowledge that it maybe his destiny.

It’s hard to believe me if you have not seen my son do the things he does. So here is a link to the video of his latest stunt. Remember he is a 3 year old.

Bobo stuntman video

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A Valuable Cracked TV Lesson

“There is a crack on the TV”

This is how my Monday morning begun. Have the little TV people who live inside our TV gotten tired of entertaining us and want to break free?

Maybe

“There is sound but no picture”

Ok so the little TV people are still working but maybe there is “dumsor”*, load shedding or lights out in TV land.

“I think Bobo cracked the TV”

Bobo is the nickname I gave my first son. One thing I can say about having kids is that everyone dreads them destroying a TV.

I sometimes wonder whether our parents ever had that concern. It’s like they come down with a TV and smartphone screen mess up configuration, operation “crack the screen”.

I didn’t want to believe this news so I asked for my wife to let me on the details of what actually happened.

According to her she was in the kitchen when my son came through screaming “TV” repeatedly. She came into the living room to inquire, only to hear sound and no picture from the TV. She then went closer to see a crack on the screen which lead to the wail, “OH BOBO!”

Not to put my wife on the spot but judgement had already been passed down on the boy. I also concluded after assessing the screen that he was guilty.

His track record didn’t help either. He had already messed up one TV and there was his telephone set that he liked to bang on the wall by the TV.

This son of mine is in need of lawyer and his phone call.

Needless to say I was pissed. I was only glad that over the weekend wifey and I watched Game of Thrones Season 8 finally on the big screen. Watching via laptop wouldn’t have been epic.

I had not budgeted to buy a TV this month so I was thinking that maybe the screen could be fixed. It was when I was doing my research on fixing the screen that I actually found out that my son was innocent.

Our TV is a Samsung Plasma TV. A 2011/2012 model I believe. Apparently there were a number of similar stories to mine of TV’s having a crack from one of the units within the TV blowing up internally.

Upon careful inspection I even realized that the crack was internal and not external. Meaning my son was innocent.

I guess the guys from TV land were pissed.

I was happy however that it was not my son who spoilt the TV. I learned a valuable lesson as a parent and Christian that day.

Our past does not define our future. My sons actions in the past were not sufficient to make him guilty. I should have reserved playing the blame game till I had all the facts.

Though rough in his play, I have never seen my son throw stuff at the TV or tried to hit it with something. He loves his TV and cartoons.

The first TV that got messed up wasn’t hanging on a wall. It was on a cabinet and he pushed it over accidentally.

I don’t think we did well as parents in our perception of our son. I guess God used this to show us a valuable lesson about judging.

Thankfully we did not scold him or beat him. I would have felt pretty guilty if I had.

That however, is the life of a parent. We learn along the way and through our mistakes. Let’s see the lessons life presents us and share our experiences to help make the world a better place.

Now on to figuring out how to get Teletubbies back into my sons lives.

Keep it One Hondred!

*dumsor – Ghanaian slang for lights out

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Superman Birthdays

I recently found out that I wore the same red Superman t-shirt on my sons last birthday gathering. I did not plan on giving this item of apparel the “birthday t-shirt” status but considering I chose it twice and literally as I came out of the shower, I guess it deserves that title.

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Me and my son on his 1st Birthday

As a father raising a young son, I am learning how to deal with a kids birthday in the current social media, internet crazed world we are in.
Privileged as I was growing up, I didn’t have the luxury of my dad being around on my birthdays. I thus make an effort to ensure that I am around for my little man and pray that I will not be too busy in the future to being with him to celebrate the day my wife and I were blessed with his presence.
My son on his first birthday just wanted to run around and was excited to see other kids playing together. He had just figured out how to walk and was graduating to running and seeking the new freedom his limbs gave him. My family, in laws and close friends were around to celebrate the day.
As they arrived, I begun to realize the disadvantage of having more adults than kids at a toddlers birthday. Don’t get me wrong they are a great crowd however the day was about my son and I realized I had not made plans for entertaining the kids that day.
Kids also need space to express themselves, run around, play and perform other interesting activities like eat sand, mimic adults and the uncanny art of spoiling things. The space though large enough, didn’t afford the kids that opportunity.
Making matters worse it rained that day. The rains came down hard and moved the little party inside. Needless to say, the party spirit of the kids was dampened and we had little room for both kids and adults to move around in.
I thus advised myself to stick to kids around his age range for his upcoming birthdays. Adults and kids together is a bit too complicated for my hosting abilities and takes away from the little man having his fun.
I think I can handle a day dedicated to kids calling me Uncle Paul and cross crossing between being a judge at a small case court handling toy disputes, a police man shouting “STOP IT!” at 10 minute intervals or less, being a face painter and dj.
Wow! That’s a lot. That however was me on my son’s 2nd birthday.
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Me and my son on his 2nd Birthday

I guess that’s why I wear the Superman shirt. Aside acting like a Superman in this party job that doesn’t pay cash, the real reason for multitasking and providing fun memories and love to kids is because of hope. Funny enough hope is the meaning behind the Superman symbol and not the letter “S” for Superman.
It’s all about hope. The hope that love will surround our children. The hope that they will remember the love we have for them. Most important is the hope that they focus on what’s important.
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My son’s tractor

Important could mean many things. For my son on his 2nd birthday, important was a green tractor with eye balls that after a year suddenly became his favorite toy and was only interested in driving it on the floor and imitating the engine sound “vroooom!”.
 
He could not be bothered about losing at musical chairs neither was he interested in cutting his cake. That’s why when the wind was against us when lighting the twenty four plus one candle I got him ( I thought blowing candles for the kids will be fun) I just left them in the cake. The birthday boy wasn’t interested in making wishes today.
As I said earlier being Superman for the day ain’t that bad when you are dealing with a son like mine. As long as it’s less than 20 kids, a few kid loving adults around and a couple of cute babies to play with I am down. Ice cream helps a lot too. Nothing gets children in a logo logo line like ice cream.
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The BoBo Song

BoBo is the pet name I have given to my son. He has adorable cheeks and that’s where the name comes from. Each cheek is called “Bo” so together we have “BOBO”.
I enjoy playing with him. As a poet and rapper, I often perform in front of him and he gives me an attentive look and smile that convinces me that he is my number one fan.
So in celebration of my number one fan, I wrote a song that I hope to record for him as a Christmas present. I will try and shoot a music video later.
It’s a silly song that rhymes with his surname. The objective is just to have fun and look cool while singing it.
Here it is:
My name is Sean…
Kwaw Miezah.
Hey! I’m a Forjoe.
Daddy! He calls me BoBo.
We have fun, because of YOLO.
And we cool, like Kci and Jojo.
Hey! Let’s take some photos.
We’ll pose, like we won the lotto.
Daddy! He likes the fufu.
As for me, I like the nufu. (breast in Akan)
I drink it everyday no juju.
After that, I do the dodoo.
And the diaper gets filled with my poopoo ?
It’s a short song. The idea is to keep it on repeat like a jamma song and go all crazy with it. He seems to enjoy it. Can’t wait to record the video and share.
Want to contribute to the BoBo song?
Just comment on the article.
Stay winning and keep it One HONDRED!

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Trump-Anything Is Possible

Never say never.
Who would have thought that Donald Trump would make it this far? Definitely not me. His character and statements are a scary glimpse of a future with him as president.
Is he the right president for the United States? That’s not for me to say.
 As I strap my sons diaper on him after cleaning up green funk, I can’t help but see the solution starring at me in the face.

My Son After a Diaper Change
My Son After a Diaper Change

Education is the key. Each one of us was a blank canvas filled with concepts by our parents and environments. From our religion and perceptions we were moulded. Parents have a lot of control on the process and it’s their responsibility to ensure that their children turn out right. 
But what does that mean?
Does it mean I must raise them Christian? Must I teach them how to bully they’re way out of things? Teach them how to not respect others? What does “right” mean exactly?
I stare at my son wondering if my ideals of peace, love and respect will help him succeed in the future. He knows no better as I change his diaper but appreciates the comfort that the change provides. Am I helping him succeed or fail? I believe in those values (peace,love and respect) but will the world accept him for believing the same?
It’s come clear to me that the concept of education in our institutions has to change. Simultaneous equations, calculus and subject verb agreement don’t teach people humanity and love. There is seldom a discussion or a lesson on humanity, race and equality. Subjects which many grow learning little about and subject others to their ideals which sometimes go as far as killing and discriminating against others.
A look into the last five years on earth has shown that we are doing something wrong. Discrimination and war have risen to unimaginable heights with little done to minimize its effects. A presidential candidate believes climate change is a hoax and people actually believe him? What world have I brought my son into?
As a Christian, I will love and raise him to do good. I will need to supplement this with other teachings and concepts. Most importantly I need him to understand that perceptions can be very deceiving. This year’s election is a perfect example. 
Trump was a candidate that the world mocked. Today he is the President of the USA. 
That’s admirable no matter how you look at it. It’s inspiring to know that even though the odds are against you, you can rise and be victorious. I like to believe that can happen to my son. The moral of the story is inspiring. The process of how he got there however is a story for another day. 
It’s obvious that a lot more people in America see things Trump’s way than Hillary’s. What does this mean for Blacks, Hispanics and others like them? Does this mean white supremacists and chauvinists will rule? I am not sure but the way things are going now, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
As you keep it One HONDRED, what are your thoughts on Trump as president?