I am a mother… Then a politician

Politicians have been branded villains, liars, selfish, ungrateful-the list gets endless. Yet they have been adored, praised and loved. Children, roads, buildings have been named after them. They draw love and wrath in equal measure. There are even those who have attained statures akin to “small gods.’

When we label and un-label politicians, there is one thing that escapes our minds. That they; are human beings, normal people-just like all of us. They are fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. They cry at night and laugh in the morning. They feel pain and hurt but have learnt ways of not letting it show, just like us. Sometimes they run broke and their businesses are declared bankrupt. The women get pregnant and undergo the same labour pains we go through. They struggle to raise families just like we all do. Yet they still want to excel and provide the best for their families. They want to leave their children a legacy. A legacy worth emulating.

So does Catherine M. Nyamato. A politician and a mother. She lets us know that her life has a lot more than political ventures. She is a mother, a status she would not exchange for anything. Catherine Nyamato is a former nominated member of Parliament, the National Women Leader (Narc- K) and the Secretary General (League of Kenyan Women Voters). As she takes us on a stroll into her 37 years of motherhood, she makes us see that she is no super-woman. She is simply a woman who religiously worked a few principles to show that being a mum and attending to a demanding vocation can be juggled.

‘I come from a predominantly Catholic family: she says, ‘I attended Catholic schools, all run by nuns, something that ensured there was hardly any interaction with the opposite sex. Talk of boyfriends was equaled to taboo. Well, this lack of interaction with the opposite sex saw most of us get married very early. Maybe we lacked variety, such that the first man who came along just became husband material.

As out of this world as it may seem, our style worked as my husband John and I got our first child in the year 1972. I was 19. I had heard tales and tales of men who never supported their wives when pregnant and it really scared me, especially thinking about my young age. My fears were put to rest when he assumed fatherly responsibilities right from when he knew that the baby was on the way.

We made a great team. On the other hand, carrying the pregnancy did not turn out to be an anxious experience. Our mothers had already tutored us on what to expect once we got married and how to care for our children. Community cohesion ensured that everyone was their brother’s keeper. This meant that as a young mother, those who had gone before me found treasure in imparting me with the necessary knowledge concerning pregnancy and birth.

Starting a family at a tender age was made easier by the fact that my mother already had nine children and my step mother had 12. I had grown up taking care of babies. So raising mine was almost a walk in the park, save for a few hiccups here and there. Being based in Nairobi, I got five children with that last one ‘coming in 1987. I know five is un-imaginable for the current young woman, but we could quite comfortably bring up such and even more because life was fairly cheap then.

Finding trustworthy extra hands to help raise the children was not as elusive as it is today. A child belonged to the community and everyone took it upon themselves to ensure that the neighbour’s child was well taken care of. Great house-girls were more than available as many relatives, who upheld societal values were ready to be baby sitters. What I am trying to say is that, I may not be wrong in admitting that ours were the best child-raising years.

My pregnancies
All my five pregnancies were without hitches; all natural deliveries; and so were most of my peers’. Lately, there are records and records of pregnancy complications and I tend to think most of them arise from the type of food we eat that highly excludes our nutrition-rich traditional vegetables. Other than that, self exposure to avoidable stresses by today’s woman is an ingredient of the current rampant pregnancy complications.

Cravings
I had cravings through all my pregnancies, and matumbo was the food I would do whenever possible. Thankfully, my tummy’s treasured meal was quite cheap and available. My house-help got it from Kibera.

Mum to mum
As a woman who has been around for almost six decades now, I can promise you that finding a way to relax yields a lot of good result. The world is moving too fast and if you catch yourself bundled in the speed, you will miss out on life’s little joys -which go a long way.

Watch your nutrition. Let your shopping basket be full of traditional foods, even if you don’t like them. They are pregnancy-friendly. You know that processed foods are normally high in cholesterol, which results in conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes to mention a few. As much as pregnancy is beautiful and a heavenly gift it is a delicate affair. You therefore cannot gamble with its vital aspects like your nutrition.

In seeing the young ones grow, limit mass media. Too much of the current media is neither good for you nor for your children. The mature you has sound judgment of what is beneficial and what is destructive. I beseech you to enact your judgment.

My other word to you is not to shy away from the natural delivery unless you have complications.

Politics vs. family
It is true that political and public ventures take tonnes of one’s time, which more-often-than-not eats into quality family time. This may strain relationships. However, a lot of patience and goodwill from your partner and children to balance the two, can make it a possible and fruitful venture.

I have learnt that planning is the number one secret for good management of life. I never missed any school event for my children. It is very vital that you give your children all support. Every parent should strive to do that.

What keeps you going?
Prayer, planning and exercise. My day starts at Sam with a recital of the rosary after which I go for my morning walk of about three kilometers so as to keep fit. Were it not for planning, politics would have remained a dream. I believe many people who say they are overwhelmed by duty are simply poor planners.

Update
Bringing up children with a supportive husband is something that makes me not mind going through pregnancy again; of course it is no longer possible. Now that we are grandparents, we delight in the sweet friendship we have with our grandchildren; and are keen on imparting positive values in them.

My experience has confirmed to me that children are nothing but a gift from God. There is no better gift than the time I spent with mine in their early years. It was and remains very valuable. Now they are all grown free birds, independent in every way. I must say I am proud of how they turned out. I could attribute this to the fact that I encouraged them to value hard work and was careful not to shove careers down their throats. I always encouraged them to work hard and to have their own lives. I wanted them to be their own people.

My first daughter is a document specialist and librarian at the Kenya School of Law, the second works in America, the third is a doctor in Nigeria while the fourth born is studying law in London. The last born is in Australia also pursuing law.

I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in ‘; Leadership Management at Strathmore University. I love hard work and delight in being a living example of the fact that working both hard and smart is not a choice, but part of life.

END: PG 21 /16-19