emotional pain. She had engorged breasts because of not breastfeeding. She had to take medication to stop milk production. All that occupied Njoki’s mind was her son. She wondered whether she had made the right choice. She decided to journal her thoughts and this gave her much strength to face the task ahead.
She buried herself in her work and, after three months, her score was amazing and was ranked among the best counties in performance in 2019. Njoki would catch up with her son via WhatsApp video call. “My joy was that he was always happy alongside his cousins and that kept me going. The day I was to come home after the first three months in South Sudan felt like I was meeting my son for the first time ever. Receiving a hug from him was the best feeling. I booked a weekend away with my son just to bond with him, which became a norm every time I got a chance to come home,” Njoki says.
After a while, both mother and son adapted to the situation. Her son began calling Njokis sister, mum and her husband, dad. When Njoki came back, he would call them both mum. “This made me feel at ease because I knew he was comfortable,” she says When it came to discipline, Njoki discussed with her sister to raise her son the same way they were raised. “I grew up with parents who would even allow our neighbours to punish us if we were caught in the wrong. They didn’t spare the rod. So, when it came to my son, we agreed that if he did something wrong, my sister would discipline him the way she did her children,” she adds.
Back home
Njoki is glad that she took the job as it assisted her to pick up her pieces. After saving enough, she decided to resign in November 2019 to come home , and be with her son. “At first, my boss r edge my resignation and hoped that I would change my mind.
He told wanted to,” she says. She doesn’t take for granted every moments pent with her son. Currently, Njoki is working as a nutritionist and an , actress. She also hosts an online show, “The Drive Talk Show” a _ programme that discusses ‘ different leadership styles, business ideas, talents, among others.
According to child psychologist, Pilie Ndiangui, while development is a lifelong j process, j both the j infancy I period i and toddler hood is a critical period \ that lays a.
foundation that ‘ _ determine the child the milestones in life.
During this period, the child constructs the understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences by seeing and hearing. This is also the stage at which imprinting takes place, a period which aids in attachment and is crucial in order to promote optimal social development.
“The first year of life enables the infant to learn trust. This is established when the caregiver is predictable in attending to the needs. Trust in infancy sets the stage for a lifelong expectation that the world is a pleasant place to be. If the caregiver is unavailable and the infant is left to cry for long or the needs are not promptly attended to, one develops mistrust. If they are too restrained and the caregivers are too harsh, they develop mistrust and feel rejected,” she says.
