VANITY UPON VANITY IS VANITY
Mine is an Urhobo name and it's pronounced as Mí-nē.
“Mine, I've told you to cut your coat according to your size. We cannot afford another pack of goldenmorn until next week when salary is paid. Why are you stubborn like this?” Tejiri asked, trying to mask her anger with exasperation.
“Yesterday in the school when our teacher was teaching us CRS (Christian Religious Studies), she mentioned that vanity upon vanity is vanity,” Mine paused for a second and narrowed her eyes at her mother, “So why can't I choose my own vanity?”
“What do you mean by that?” Tejiri asked angrily.
“See ehnnn,” Mine said and put on a sage's face, “no matter what we do, we will all die, is that not true?”
“Get to the point,” Tejiri said through gritted teeth as her eyes fell on the mountain of goldenmorn and milk.
“So I'm choosing my vanity because everything will end in the grave. Grandmama was always doing management-management and at the end, she didn't carry the basket of garri she was always managing to the grave. When she died, it was used to feed people that attended the burial and you gave her vegetable farm to her sister in the village to manage.”
Tejiri felt like slapping the child but she composed herself.
“Her nice shoes that she was always polishing because she said Uncle Tega bought it from Italy, did she carry it to the grave? Is it not you that still inherited the pair of shoes because you know her sister won't appreciate it like grandmama did?”
“What's your point exactly, baby girl?” Philip strolled into the kitchen and placed a kiss on Tejiri's forehead before playfully punching Mine's shoulder.
“That we will all die and nobody will carry anything to the grave. Plus, everything is vanity upon vanity so I'm choosing my vanity right now which is solely focused on enjoyment and riches,” Mine finished with an air of finality.
“Are you okay?” Tejiri asked, her hands shaking with anger.
Mine poured water into the bowl of cereal and mixed it delightfully after which she took a spoonful and smiled with delight.
Tejiri felt the anger in her pulse as she approached the child but her husband -Philip- held her back and smiled.
“You are the one spoiling her,” Tejiri said quietly despite her anger.
“She made a good argument for her case and I'm surprised our nine year old is so opinionated,” Philip chuckled.
“She got it from you, you and your argumentative ways,” Tejiri hissed as she released her hand from his grip and steadied them on her waist.
“Dear Mine,” Philip said and Mine looked up at him, “your argument was correct but baby, there are times you should save for rainy days. Your mum was just concerned about what you'll eat tomorrow. There's really no money right now and inflation is so high we are barely making ends meet-”
“Daddy, you are being polite and humble,” Mine laughed and Philip cracked a smile.
“Even if you have money, you still need to be wise about what you do with it else you'll be stranded on rainy days and that's no good,” Philip said and patted her head.
“Okay daddy,” Mine said, her face downcast.
“That being said, no cereals for a week. Enjoy your vanity, my darling,” Philip said and burst into laughter, Tejiri joined in while Mine smiled despite her predicament.
To be a better parent than your parents were, you need personal development, spirituality and mindset shift. To get books on these topics, check here. You need to read and understand to help your child.
