LETTER TO MY DAUGHTER.

Your Loving Dad.

Letter To My Daughter.

Dear Rose,

I want to believe that you are reading this letter alone because there are so many things I want to tell you which are meant for your eyes and ears alone. But before I start, let me quickly ask about your friends. How is Mary, has she stopped using those creams that make her look like a rainbow- black legs, white face, purple hands? (Chuckles). What about Raymond, is he still smoking and clubbing instead of facing his studies? Hope Chika has not slackened in taking the first position in his department? Tell her that I am proud of her and I prayerfully wish that you, my beautiful daughter, will be like her and let go of your other friends. I hope all of them are fine, if so glory to God.

First and foremost, I want to bring your attention to an issue that has been disturbing me for a long time. I am deeply sorry that I am unable to provide everything that you need. I know my duties as a parent but I am financially handicapped in meeting all your needs. I know the shame that you are passing through in school. I know that you have only one pair of shoes, a pair of slippers and an old sandal that you inherited from your grandmother. I know that apart from the cloth that you are wearing as you are reading this letter, you have only three shirts and two skirts left. I know that right now, the only foodstuff you have at home is garri and well water. I know that you have not paid your school fees as we speak and you may end up not writing the upcoming examination and I am deeply sorry that though I know all these things, yet I am unable to help you. But don’t let all these problems weigh you down. Don’t say because you don’t have food at home, you will steal from your neighbor who has more than enough or you will do some evil things to get food ration in return. Please take whatever you have today and know that tomorrow would be better. If you have nothing to eat, bear your hunger proudly and think of one day, when you shall have enough food to even give out to other people.

Though it is hard to smile when you feel like crying yet nobody will love you for the tears you shed and the sadness you carry everywhere with you like a bad perfume, people only love you because of the happiness you give whenever they are around you. Remember, everyone has his or her own problem and will not want to add more sorrow to what they have already. So, dear daughter, place value on yourself. Even if you have only one pair of shoes, shine them till they are reflecting different shades of light,  if you don’t have polish, wash them every day if need be. And your cloths; wear one and wash the other. Do this every day to keep them clean. Some people will laugh at you that you are always wearing a particular shirt, what they say cannot determine your future, what determines your future is the way you run your life. Don’t wear rags because you are poor. Don’t go dirty because you cannot afford soap and don’t frown your face every time because others eat, dress and live better than you.

Plan your future. I know it is hard to do but it not impossible. The future may be daunting especially if the present is not so rosy but it not too early or late to start planning towards it now. It doesn’t matter the time that you have wasted or the opportunities that you have failed to make use of, what matters is that you can still have a better future. Maybe in my subsequent letters, I will explain in full details how to plan your future. Whatever you want to be in future, start planning towards it now. I, your father have always dreamed to become the president of this country. Though I am yet to achieve this dream, yet I don’t doubt that I will achieve this dream. Things may be extremely difficult now, but they will never remain this way forever. So I beg you, darling child to start planning about your future now. Remember, your future is like a piece of land and you are free to build any type of house on it. Some people build just three bedroom flats on their, others build duplexes and mansions but I want you to build a city. The future is elastic, there’s no boundary or limit to how far or high you can go. The only limit to your altitude in life is the one you permit yourself. I hope you get my meaning?

My Loving Daughter.

Finally, (because I don’t want to bore you with too many words), I want you to know who your true friends are. Not everyone who comes to your house; eats with you, sleep with you and laugh with you in times of plenty and happiness that is your friend. I don’t mean to sound hopeless or pessimistic about life and friendship, but this is reality and I have discovered that I can no longer shield you from it. The day you packed your loads away from my house to school is the day that you started coming face-to-face with the reality of life. Throughout your primary and secondary school life, you have been shielded and protected from much of these hard facts of life, but now, you are almost a woman grown and I can no longer continue to treat you the way I did when I used to carry you on my shoulders to church. Now that I no longer know what you do in each day or the type of people that you walk with, my only advice to you is to keep friends that will add positive value to your life. For instance, don’t walk with friends who hate their natural skin colour to the extent that they start using bleaching creams. These sorts of people are naturally not easily contented, stay away from them. Also, friends who cannot hold gratification for future enjoyment are not worth having around at all. I am not really talking about Raymond, but I am just saying. Don’t keep friends with people who smoke and go to club every time and consume alcohol, one day, they will lure you into this habit. Remember the Yoruba adage that says that a sheep that keeps friends with a dog will eventually eat shit. Surround yourself with people who are diligent, honest, industrious, focused and God fearing.

I cannot say more than this because my hand is stiff from writing this long epistle to you. Extend my fatherly greetings to your friends and course mate, I promise you that before this semester runs out, your mom and I will come to visit you in school. I wish you best of luck in your coming examination.

                                                                                        Your loving dad.