Andrew
Book Review
Edmore Zvinonzwa
IN the traditional patriarchal context, women were always stereotyped as suited for bearing children and concentrating on home chores.
They were usually blamed in cases where a marriage failed to produce children.
Celebrating womanhood, therefore, was only considered appropriate in cases where a union produced children.
Nigerian writer Buchi Emecheta’s “The Joys of Motherhood” (1979) is a typical example of a book that tackles motherhood in the colonial as well as patriarchal setup.
Zimbabwean writer Chipo Gozho has come up with her own titled “Frontline Mum: Defeating Destiny Destroyers From the Womb to the World”, which explores how the enemy sets out to change a child’s destiny. She also suggests strategies to fight and defeat this.
Motherhood is compared to war, with mothers being soldiers on the frontline.
The book draws from Chipo’s experiences as a nurse. It naturally explores the importance of antenatal care, parenting styles and skills, and pregnancy.
Chipo sees the world in general as a battlefield. People who fight on the frontline are the ones who taste the real battle.
The Covid-19 pandemic has popularised the term “frontline”, where staff who are exposed to the deadly virus — doctors, nurses, pharmacists, as well as other health workers — are referred to as frontline workers.
For mothers, this book is a manual that will help them come to terms with what they go through in the journey of parenthood. It teaches women how to handle the period of conception. As a nurse herself, Chipo talks about the need to visit hospital when one falls pregnant.
She writes: “In some institutions, especially public healthcare centres, there are antenatal classes which every pregnant mother must attend. There is a lot to learn from the healthcare workers, even from other attendees.” (p19)
What makes the book unique is that it also explores the interesting subject of parenting, which is the writer’s forte.
“Parenting is a skill to be mastered . . . Different family set-ups, different environments, all bring about differences in the way children are raised. Help children to develop to be fully functioning, productive and contributing adults. All mothers are important. It doesn’t matter whether you are married, single or widowed, you are important, just know your role.” (p34)
One of the biggest lessons of this must-read book is that parents should never compare their children.
“Never compare your children with others or even with their siblings. Each child is a unique individual. If you do not accept or recognise them as different, you can tear down a child.” (p35)
The impact of the internet, television and social media are also explored.
While they largely have a positive impact, they can also negatively impact on children.
The author says: “The battles that mothers face as they walk through the journey of motherhood, during pregnancy, as they give birth, the responsibility of raising kids, with or without help, made me write this book. As a Christian, I learnt that mums fight an invisible enemy whose presence is felt by the trail of destruction it leaves on the children. It hides behind what we all know — social media addiction, bullying, drugs, robbery.”
Every parent battles with these issues day in, day out.
“If mums do not fight for their children, who will? The Word of God, the sword of the spirit, the best fighting weapon ever, should be found in your mouth. Righteousness and prayer are some of the weapons . . .” she says, as she sums up how a mother can defend her children.
Taking up blogging was a result of the words of her pastor and life coach who said to her: “If you train your mind, it will deliver to you thoughts, the right thoughts and ideas, that will earn you commercial value. There is no poverty for a man who has made an investment in his mind and is willing to act.”
Chipo grew up in Bulawayo and attended Manyewu Primary School in Entumbane and Mzilikazi High School, before joining the United Bulawayo Hospital School of Nursing. She is also a professional counsellor and certified life coach, and has been blogging on parenting, which has been her passion and major when she studied counselling and life coaching.
Online Reporter