Read The First 9 Words Of This Email.

Children Are Not Cute! You all lied to us!

Because what's cute about someone demanding a strawberry smoothie at 6:00 am on a Friday morning?

It's 7:15am, and I'm scouring the streets of Lagos Island for someone—anyone—selling strawberries. And you still think children are cute?!

Last week, I suffered queuing to get fuel for hours, and this week, these children are making me walk the streets of Lagos Island looking for berries??

Before you label me the villain, walk with me through my morning.

I’m at my sister’s place with her three kids. School resumed on Monday, and with the current state of the economy, my sister had to cut down on expenses—kids’ food included.

So instead of fancy imported cereals, they’re eating a lot more pap (which is more nutritious anyway). She has also swapped foreign fruits like plums and berries for more local fruits like watermelon and pineapple.

But here’s the thing about kids: they don’t care about the economy. 

They want what they want, when they want it.

The little ones must have noticed their fancy fruits are missing, and today, they decided to rebel. They've been wailing for a strawberry smoothie since we woke them up at 6:00 am to get ready for school.

Honestly, they were screaming so loudly, you would think someone was running an inhumane experiment on them!

So, here I am, standing in front of a fruit stall, waiting for our fruit vendor to arrive. And I can’t help but reflect…

Growing up, I noticed the times when things were tough for my parents. They explained why we had to make sacrifices—like switching schools or eating Eba for dinner every night for a month.

My parents are incredible, and they did their absolute best raising us. But, as a child, I hated not being able to attend the schools my church friends attended or wear the dresses I liked.

There was even a time my sisters and I had to cut our hair short ("abolo") because keeping it done was too expensive.

I promised myself that my future kids would have it better—that they’d get what they need when they need it.

That’s why, even though I’m single (very single, by the way), I’ve already started putting money aside every month for my future kids using the Babybox feature on Jollof+.

So, while my nieces may be mini-tyrants, causing me to trek all over Lagos island in search of strawberries, I’m happy my sister can afford to give her kids what they want. That, in itself, is a blessing.

If you’re reading this and feel like you’re not doing enough for your kids, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing your best, and I truly hope you can do even more soon.

In the meantime, you can start small—save for your kids' future using the Baby Box feature on Jollof+. It’ll make a difference for you and for them.

Ah! It's 7:35am, and the fruit vendor is finally here. 

I should probably grab some blueberries and apples too, just in case that’s what they’ll be crying about tomorrow.

Until next time.

Toodles,

Bambi from Jollof+