A Happy Ending.....

A few days ago, my whole core trembled as I learned that a housemaid somewhere in Magodo, Lagos had vanished with the two young children left in her care. I was dismayed and unable to function for a long while as I tried not to imagine the parents' anguish. I doubt if my frail heart can take such a test, having someone take my children away from me? Lord, have mercy. Naturally, upon hearing such news I once again flirted heavily with the thought of resigning and being a stay-at-home-mum or finding me a job that encouraged working from home. Balancing motherhood and career is becoming tougher and tougher and it seems like we are caught in between a rock and a hard place. Nobody really understands how tough parenting is until they wade in waist deep.

It wasn't too long ago that I wrote a post about the maid-from-hell here so I just couldn't bring myself to do another about these young kids. I however kept abreast of the news through people that knew the family and I prayed hard for them to be found soon and alive too. I'm glad to post now that they two young boys have been found alive and have been reunited with their parents. No matter what, that maid had absolutely no right to kidnap children left in her care and subject the parents to such heights of mental and emotional torture. I sincerely hope our police force would arrest all those involved in this kidnapping and make scapegoats of them with tough sentencing. Unconfirmed reports claim the parents had to pay N2.5million to the kidnappers before they got the kids back. Huge amount but pennies compared to the safe return of those innocent children. I will try to get more details about this case and post it here.

I would also like to implore other mothers out there to be extra cautious and to follow their guts and instincts, however irrational it may seem at the time, concerning their children. From my experience, every time I have had a hunch about a domestic staff, it turns out spot on. It is better to follow a hunch and find out it was nothing than to rationalize it and leave it only to regret later. Better safe than sorry, they say. Also, we cannot afford to be careless with whom we leave our children with. Just a few days ago, I read on twitter about how one of my followers saw her friend's children ALONE in a cab without any chaperone save for the cabbies himself. Apparently, the mother had a pressing hair appointment and called the cabbie to take her children home without any escort. Sigh. This is like a hundred shades of wrong. Parents, do not leave your children alone in the company of anyone that can cause them harm, no matter how closely related such persons are to you.