Anything that makes them smile is fine

I believe the joy of every parent is to see their child excited and filled with smiles at all times, and to achieve that, each goes to lengths and breadths, even to the point of doing the dirtiest of tasks, depriving oneself of comfort and pleasure, to satisfy our kids. In a nutshell, nothing brings more joy to a parent than the satisfaction of their kids.

Achieving this is never an easy task, I must say. Although I haven't fathered a child yet, the responsibility I've shoulder in recent years is little or no different from that of any parent. I can remember a few years ago when my brother put his little girl to bed. The pretty angel cried at almost every given opportunity, and since the father wasn't around, I remember moving in with them to give the mother the chance to get some rest.

Has a baby girl; she's the type who won't sleep except if you carried her on your chest and moved around the house; carrying her on the back just like traditional African women do doesn't suit her, and immediately you do that she starts crying; the street was too much for the mother; she won't sleep in the day, and when she ought to rest at night, the baby still cries, and that was the major reason I moved in.

Despite me carrying her through the night, I still see the mother wake up every few minutes just to make sure she's alright; I see that's a typical example of love, which goes beyond our own comfort, but right between our own struggle, we still look out for our kids. I really respected her for that, but now the girl is all grown up and the regular crying girl isn't one who fancy tears anymore.

Then speaking about some sacrifice I've had to make for an elder brother, which makes me seem like a parent myself, my parents are retired and ain't working anymore, and yet I've got siblings behind me who are yet to complete their education, so to aid this and help pay their fees, I had to commit myself to not entering any relationship or marriage for the time being until they've reached a sustainable level academically.

I know you might think such commitment isn't really necessary, but then I understood the fact that if I claimed to love someone, then I should be able to get them their basic needs or at least provide some of their needs, so in order not to make these collide, which might in the end make me unable to meet their needs, I decided to commit myself to my plans so I can pay their fee without any problems and in the end I watch them smile and be excited about their success.

Staying true to this delays my progress in maritally, but I'm ready to sacrifice the time, money, and effort till they are well educated to the point where their certificate can fend for them in the outside world, and after that I can move on with my life and live happily ever after.

Thanks so much for reading through, have a blessed and productive day.