HealthScapades Episode #16 | The Quest for the Girl Child | 11.10.2024
by Tayo Fasuan
Most people already know I’m the firstborn with four male siblings. And if you have been following me for a while, too, you would also know the reason my parents got five boys was that they were hoping for a girl child.
Well, they didn’t get it.
Instead, they got five boys who ‘terrorised’ them throughout their younger years with death-defying plays, sheer mischief, and troublesomeness. I remember Mum always trying to involve me in girly things while growing up. But I couldn’t respond appropriately.
I never had it in me.
We still did a lot together, but my mum clearly missed having a girl child. And I didn’t know Dad did too until he accidentally mentioned it one day when we were already older. We were all like, “Really, Old Man?”
But can you fault him? I grew up hoping I had a sister too, instead of the entire gang being a bunch of stubborn-looking, shege-giving dudes. I needed someone to dote on and protect, as I saw in the movies.
Well, I didn’t get too, either older or younger.
Instead, I unleashed that care and attention on my cousins and nieces whenever they were around. And when my first child turned out to be a girl, I was relieved. Of course, my parents won’t let me monopolise her, but I still gladly ‘shared’ her.
When my next two offspring turned out to be boys, I quickly stopped procreating lest I become my parent in the quest for more female children. And since my baby girl is more or less a carbon copy of me, I revel in that as well.
The girl child is always special, so special. Of course, the boy child is equally special, but girl children add a particular sweetness to this world that boys can’t really provide. And that’s one of the reasons we celebrate them.
This year’s International Day of the Girl Child falls within the International Adolescent Health Week (IAHW). So, they have to be strong mentally and physically to be able to thrive and be resilient, just like the theme of this year’s IAHW.
Happy Girl Child Day to my daughter and every young girl out there. The 2024 International Day of the Girl theme is ‘Girls’ vision for the future’, intending to convey both the need for urgent action and persistent hope.
And we are going to do just that.