Tell your story #24: Resist financial dependence and it would flee from you

_{Photo of mother carrying her baby while working by William Fortunato from Pexels}

I witnessed a very ugly sight at the Uyo Plaza last weekend. You know those scenarios where a man beats up a woman for asking for upkeep money for a toddler.

I was there to purchase an item when I heard a loud noise behind me. I ignored the chaos because I thought the fight involved louts until I heard a child cry.

Instinctively, I turned to see a little boy sitting right behind me with a bleeding face. Beside him was a large umbrella which covered the culprit and his victim (the baby's mother's) faces.

I do not know how it got to that level. Everything happened so fast and the man left as abruptly as he came.

I could feel my blood boil at this point.

How dare he hit a little child!

If I had taken my taekwondo and weightlifting training seriously (I wish I did), I would have brought out the Mohammed Ali in me. But that was not an option.

Everybody ignored them. Nobody tried to calm the child. By now, I could feel wires sparking in my head while I tried to pet the child and clean up the blood.

That callous act left a deep scar on the baby's face.

Even though I could not catch the symmetry of his father's face, I already knew the content of the man's heart. I wished able-bodied humans had given his bones some adjustments. But most importantly, I wished that ladies would pause to reflect on this event.

After witnessing that event, I made up my mind to resist financial dependence so it would flee from me.

• First, I decided never to give birth to children I cannot take care of on my own.
  I could feel the pain and anguish in the lady's voice when she complained about not receiving anything from this father to take care of his child.

• It fuelled my desire for financial independence.
  You would agree childcare is draining – physically, mentally and financially. There would be not-so-rosy days, especially at the beginning. The worst thing anyone desires would be to subject themself to the whims of an uncultured fellow just for the sake of their child. This is why it is safe to be prepared before starting the journey of child care.

• I also saw the need for compulsory female empowerment.
  In homes where females have high income skills and jobs, the children lack nearly nothing. It becomes easy to collaborate with their spouses to provide the children with the basic things they need. For this sake, there is a need for more women to consistently develop their skills in order to access better job opportunities. Business organisations could implement policies that encourage the employment and promotions of well-deserving women as well.

I dream of a world where there is zero poverty and domestic violence, including the absence of child abuse. Someone once said this is possible in an utopian society. Still, I believe we can make this happen on earth, one step at a time.

@lamia30 and @owulama shared insightful posts some weeks ago. I'd like to reinvite them to join this week's contest by @ruthjoe.

_{Written by @ukpono on 3 December 2024}