SHE IS YOUR WOMAN, NOT YOUR MOTHER by Daisy Waitherero

It is often claimed that infidelity is the titanic of all relationships but I strongly differ; unemployment is. To all men who still think love and affection is enough to keep her under your arms please come back to Kenya and leave Bollywood alone. A man is judged by what he brings to the table, literally, and a woman is judged by how it is presented. If by any chance my glorious and by far versatile specie is the ultimate provider then apologies are in order; you dear married your mother and not your wife.

Men seem to be taking advantage of the modern day woman; apparently our tenacity in finding better livelihood is a source of encouragement for bums with no bone of ambition in their bodies. By all means I do mean to offend all men who wake up to prepare breakfast, clean the house and dress the children for school. I am not undermining the work done for the good Lord knows that I wouldn’t survive two days with my nephew or niece. However when I look at a man, I should see exactly that and not a confused image of gender. Know your roles.

Love makes us do crazy things, it doesn’t make us do stupid things; don’t be confused. If by curse or bad omen you get laid off, then a month out of work is acceptable; if you quit your job then two weeks is fair; for you can’t quit without having a net plan to dive in; If you simply don’t feel like working then my brother (yes, now you are brother zoned) I simply do not know how we met. I love my sleep as much as I love working and I do try to maintain that balance unless it’s a weekend whereby sleep is all I do.

A woman can only be a cheerleader and your personal counsellor for a certain period before she starts losing the respect you earned. She will support and encourage you all she can but just like the second coming; that time will come like a thief. It will only be a matter of days until she starts hurling insults at you regarding your worthless state soon after divorce or break up depending on the level of association you are in.

It’s the 21st century, for a man not to have a job it would mean he has no control, no independence and no self-worth or is it net worth. Let’s not forget no woman too. Well, eventually. It’s a serious case of mismatched roles and in turn failing love. Therefore men, kindly fight for your job and keep your woman.

MONEY OVER EVERYTHING by Daisy Waitherero Wambua

You know your life has just gotten harder when money is no longer the problem. The irony. However it is true, when you can afford anything you can possibly imagine and probably get it custom made; you dear have made it. Once you start reading the menu from left to right and not from the price to the type of food then you are rich; if by any chance you don't remember the hustle of walking down the street brushing shoulders with the high and not so mighty then you are spoilt rich; having zero to no recollection of your family members’ name just means you spend way too much time in the bank instead of writing a will. It does get lonely at the top. It's like the ultimate level of success.
The richest person in the world is the one who has realized that money is not everything and that there is more to life than having pockets let alone having them deep. Few people have had this kind of realization but do I blame the 70% of the society that would go hard for their money? Yes I will. Everyone is struggling to get to the top of the food chain leaving behind family, values and some leaving their clothes. RIP to Vera Sidika's closet. Money nowadays is a source of identity: it’s not a commodity as it was once said to be. The throwback image of cash was decent living, currently it is love, respect and air (to some).

I am not fully entitled to judge anyone who works hard to put food on their table as I have studied over ten years so that one day I’ll follow suit. However I don’t believe books will be my source of livelihood. Please be confused, I have literally spent close to fifteen years doing something that may not entirely help me in my bid for a better life. I would drop out but what harm is it in adding a few more years. This is how Presidents think when their term is almost over. What am trying to get at is that everyone is in a bid to get that royal treatment hence all of us laboring in school for ages instead of perfecting skills that are actually relevant. This whole sacrifice is all for the money. Insanity don’t you think?
They say money is the root of all evil yet we still chase after it but it’s not only the root, it’s the fruit, the stem and the leaves even the ground of all evil. It all depends on which part of hell you see yourself in after it all.

The billion dollar question of which most of you cannot afford to ask let alone answer is; what is next after the flashy living?
 

TO MY FUTURE DAUGHTER by Daisy Waitherero

Dear daughter,
If you look anything like your grandma then you must be the most beautiful child, if you are anything like your grandfather then you are a perfect combination of beauty and brains; I would tell you what you got from your father but I don’t think I have met him yet. If he exists somewhere in this ratchet world then know that the impossible is possible.
My child, one rule only; tell your mother everything. I do realize that maybe it is not the grandest advice you will have been told but it’s the only advice that is easy to remember. (Plus if you are anything like me, you know how much I loathe quotes and words of wisdom). After over two decades of living, I am supposed to have maximum knowledge of such but I would rather stare at a blank page for five hours rather than stare at a book with quotes and sayings. Don’t get me wrong, stick to your books and I don’t mean the ones with blank pages.
However I assure you that this advice I have given you for free please execute it at all times in your life. When you low and you feel depressed, when you accidentally steal money from me, when you purposely sneak out and unfortunately get caught while at it, when you feel like dropping out (actually don’t tell me this, I will kill you), when you want to sleepover at your boyfriend’s (you would probably be suicidal if you tell me this) and among other scenarios that you may need adult advice or insight or to be grounded.
I apologize for all the times that I will be away for every three days a month, probably your emotions might be overrated at these sudden moments. But be rest assured that I will come soon after. For all the times that I will be harsh or firm with you, know that I only do it so that one day you will make something of yourself and you won’t go wayward. I shall not allow you to go to waste. For the few or zero times that I will give you permission to go out and come at three in the morning please leave the gate open for me, I might be coming at 6am.
I pray and hope that I will have you before I reach 30s so that I can be just like my mother and maybe it will be a trend in our family line. I bet your grandmother would be very fond of you; to some extent spoil you (please note that she hasn’t spoiled me yet so don’t come anytime soon). She is an amazing woman if she brought me up this good; borrow her money, her car and sometimes her VISA card but most importantly borrow her cooking and don’t forget her brains. You only meet a person of that stature once a lifetime. I would know because I have known her my whole life.
I pray one day you will be proud me just as I am of her and you would love me because I definitely would love you.
Lots of love,
Mother