Many people will tell you that it is illogical for a man to not only let his wife pursue a job offer abroad, but also accept to take care of a breastfeeding baby by himself. I was in such a dilemma.
Even my wife was apprehensive about my abilities to do it alone
At first, the idea of raising our baby single-handedly sounded odd to me, but I was relentless in my pursuit.
Even my wife was apprehensive about my abilities to do it alone, being my first ever attempt.
Trouble started when I informed my folks that I had made an unpopular decision but wanted their support and blessings. My mom, known not to mince her words, expressed her feelings through a question. She asked whether the move was for the ‘better or bitter’, and I maintained that it was for ‘the better’. She proposed to raise her grandson on my behalf. I protested the suggestion because I was the father, with an income and could afford food and shelter. I remained so adamant that the discussion was abandoned. My dad, a man of few words, reserved his opinion on the matter. I could tell that he wondered about the kind of son he raised.
I ran into the angriest face of societal rebellion the day my baby cried inconsolably. I decided to seek parental opinion from a women’s Facebook forum with over 10,000 members. I soon found out that some of them harboured bitter feelings towards men who had reneged on parental provision. I walked right into that raw anger, and my posts attracted more hate than sympathy. Venom was spewed, and my sexuality questioned. Others offered me bras, tampons, and panties. But, you see, when a baby is crying while staring into your eyes, there is not an insult big enough to stand in your quest for solutions. I scrolled through the abuses until I found an answer.
