There’s something truly special about watching kids grow into little helpers. Not only does it bring pride to your heart, but it also saves you a bit of money because let’s face it, raising kids can get expensive!
Just today, I had a front-row seat to a mini miracle at home. Two of my nieces were having a “bad hair day” since Friday actually and their head teacher at school had asked that they take the worn out braids out. They were actually scheduled to go to the salon after church but their mom asked, “Why spend money when their elder sisters are almost experts at braiding?”
Enter the YouTube generation, there’s been hours of watching videos, countless times of practice and a whole bunch of patience. My 13-year-old and 11-year-old nieces wasted no time. After refreshing from the walk back from church, they set to work, each braiding the younger ones, one is 5, the other 7. I watched in amazement as their fingers danced through the strands, weaving neat, flawless but simple styles. Their school doesn’t require any fancy hairstyles; they say it reduces children’s performance and attention as most hairstyles are distracting.
It was a proud auntie moment, honestly. If we had gone to the salon, we would have spent over $5 per child and kid’s hair is notoriously expensive around here, sometimes even more than adults.
Meanwhile, my little nephew decided to test our patience. Always does anyway. The poor boy was fussy, and I noticed a rash developing on his back. The afternoons have been scorching, and though January and February nights get chilly, the daytime heat can be brutal.
To calm him down, I applied some white clay, “Ndom” in our native language, mostly gotten from waterfalls. It’s a traditional trick for heat rashes, and it worked like magic, soothing him while his sisters worked their braiding magic.
Watching this scene unfold, I realized motherhood (and of course aunt-hood!) is beautiful when you have these small, everyday moments, kids helping each other, sharing skills, and a little creative problem-solving when the weather doesn’t cooperate.