Claudia is here

Holidays are  often a nightmare for some parents. Controlling child (ren) is herculean, you need alot of patience and understanding to deal with them. This is where teachers do better than parents because, they are trained to do what they do while we just jump into parenting and sometimes it's a disaster.

I bet we didn't know before now that most of these household items actually have expiry dates. 

By: Claudia Nwankwo  Pictures from Mbomuzo in Obowo. Mbomuzo  Festival  is an annual age long custom of environmental sanitation usually observed during the peak of the rainy season to weed out overgrown grasses off  bush paths, roads leading to public/special centres such as market places,  worship centres , leadership centres etc.  There is usually a whole lot of preparations leading to the D-Day when cultural dance groups and  masquerades  would be on display entertaining people  from all works of life. See pictures from yesterday's  Mbomuzo  in Obowo, Imo State, Nigeria.

As a little girl, I had big dreams and so many hopes about things I wanted to do in my adulthood. I just couldn't wait to turn eighteen (18) to be free to do all of those things I could only imagine at the time.  By the time I was 18, I had some level of freedom that I didn't know what to do with it. I moved to the university (far away from home). I thought it was time for me to become my own "lord and master" but I was still financially dependent on my parents and had to deal with studies.  Hence, I wasn't really free.  In my twenties, I moved even farther this time to a very distant town that it could take weeks to plan a trip back home. I visited home once or twice yearly and it was cool to finally have that "freedom" but then I was just starting life. Boy! twenties was stressful.  Everything was clamoring for my time and attention. I was supposed to be free but I barely had time for myself. It was work, friends, relationships, society, ever

Brethren I bring you today's gospel: By Claudia Nwankwo Setting boundaries are always important in every relationship be it family/friendship/work/neighbourhood etc. We must all know our boundaries and how to set them in relation to others. Mutual respect sustains peaceful co-existence. Don't jump into people's business uninvited expecting accolades. Learn to stay in your lane. Mind yourself not to discuss your family with friends, friends with family etc.. briddle your tongue! A loose tongue is as dangerous as a loaded gun. You can ruin lives and relationships by mixing s#!+ up. You should control your thoughts and your tongue (not the other way round). Somethings are best not said (especially if you are not sure). You can ask for help from others but do not drag people into your discussions without their knowledge, it is gossip! Talkative does not mean you must talk about people. If you find yourself always discussing people instead of ideas then you are