Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,143,188 members, 7,780,307 topics. Date: Thursday, 28 March 2024 at 12:05 PM

"Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. - Literature - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Literature / "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. (10087 Views)

Chimamanda Adichie Poses In Her Hometown In Abba, Anambra State / Chimamanda Adichie At Geneva Resort, Awka (Pictures) / Chimamanda Adichie On Trump, Racism And The KKK (Video) (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (3) (Reply) (Go Down)

"Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by PopeExplicit(m): 7:23pm On Oct 13, 2016
Award-winning Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie posted a brilliant, honest essay on her facebook wall on the 12th of october 2016, titled 'DEAR IJEAWELE, OR A FEMINIST SUGGESTIONS IN FIFTEEN SECONDS'. The essay was an advice to her friend, a newly-birthed mother whom Adichie referred to as 'Ijeawele'. The name of the baby girl in question was Chizalum.

In the witty, concise piece, Adichie lays down fiteen crucial rules for raising a feminist daughter. Her rules range from "Unapologetic Attitude", to "Absolute self awareness", and, most importantly, "Kindness". Adichie states some of the 'absurd' sentiments towards feminism and dissolves them into nothingness.
On child care between parents, Adichie tells her friend:
And please reject the language of help. Chudi is not ‘helping’ you by caring for his child. He is doing what he should. When we say fathers are ‘helping,’ we are suggesting that childcare is a mother’s territory, into which fathers valiantly venture. It is not. Can you imagine how many more people today would behappier, more stable, better contributors to the world, if only their fathers had been actively present in their childhood? And never say that Chudi is
‘babysitting’ – people who babysit are people for whom the baby is not a primary responsibility. Chudi does not deserve any special gratitude or praise, nor do you – you both made the choice to bring a child into the world, and the responsibility for that child belongs equally to you both. It would be different if you were a single mother, whether by circumstance or choice, because ‘doing it together’ would then not be an option. But you should not be a ‘single mother’ unless you are truly a single mother. My friend Nwabu once told me that, because his wife left when his kids were young, he became ‘Mr. Mom,’ by which he meant that he did the daily care-giving. But he was not being a ‘Mr. Mom,’ he was simply being a dad.


On behavioral patterns of boys and girls, Adichie says;
A young woman once told me that she had for years behaved ‘like a boy’ – she liked football and was bored by dresses – until her mother forced her to stop her ‘boyish’ interests and she is now grateful to her mother for helping her start behaving like a girl. The story made me sad. I wondered what parts of herself she had needed to silence and stifle, and I wondered about what her spirit had lost, because what she called ‘behaving like a boy’ was simply that
she was behaving like herself.

Adichie further states:
Ofcourse I am angry. I am angry about racism. I am angry about sexism. But I am angrier about sexism than I am about racism. Because I live among many people who easily acknowledge race injustice but not gender injustice.

On books, Chimamanda says;

Teach Chizalum to read. Teach
her to love books. The best way is by casual example. If she sees you reading, she will understand that reading is valuable. If she were not to go to school, and merely just read books, she would arguably become more knowledgeable than a conventionally educated child. Books will help her understand and question the world, help her express herself, and help her in whatever she wants to become – a chef, a scientist, a singer all benefit from the skills that reading brings. I do not mean school books. I mean books that have nothing to do with school, autobiographies and novels and histories. If all else fails, pay her to read. Reward her. I know of this incredible Nigerian woman who was raising her child in the US; her child did not take to reading so she decided to pay her 5 cents per page. An expensive endeavor, she later joked, but a worthy investment.

The essay was published on her facebook wall by her publishers Alfred A Knopf, and it triggered both well meaning comments and backlash. A certain commenter was known to have called her a hopeless feminist. But, of course, Adichie would not see that. Her facebook account is not managed by her.

To read the full essay, go through: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154412708460944&id=40389960943&refid=17&_ft_=top_level_post_id.10154412708460944%3Atl_objid.10154412708460944%3Athid.40389960943%3A306061129499414%3A2%3A0%3A1477983599%3A8720056734303563602

http://www.dwartonline.com/pay-your-child-to-read-chimamanda-adichie-on-child-care-feminism/

5 Likes 2 Shares

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by PopeExplicit(m): 7:24pm On Oct 13, 2016
Lalasticlala, Seun, Mynd44, let's take this to promise land
Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Nobody: 6:38am On Oct 14, 2016
This woman and her senseless articles. How can u pay your child to read?

20 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by legalgoon: 6:38am On Oct 14, 2016
Second to comment at last !
Nice one tho


Patriotic9jaboy had to spoil show sha

1 Like

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by nony43(m): 6:38am On Oct 14, 2016
There is no sequence to a successful marriage, what works for x might not work for Y, don't tell Ijeawele on how to manage her home.

12 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by lilmax(m): 6:38am On Oct 14, 2016
pay your child to read.... another one for the gullibles grin

she just made fresh money from the whites

7 Likes 1 Share

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Alexrayz(m): 6:39am On Oct 14, 2016
I was here
Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Dennis192: 6:39am On Oct 14, 2016
great words

2 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by amiibaby(f): 6:40am On Oct 14, 2016
Okay I will....... thanks

1 Like

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by babyfaceafrica: 6:40am On Oct 14, 2016
Ok...noted
Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by agulion: 6:41am On Oct 14, 2016
But that will be after Buhari have left office

1 Like

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by sisisioge: 6:47am On Oct 14, 2016
patriotic9jaboy:
This woman and her senseless articles. How can u pay your child to read?



grin grin grin

Very funny deduction there! Guy, this new age has totally moved away from reading so whatever it takes now is welcomed just to get them to read. A stipend promised to Junior is enough to encourage him to read. Reading does wonders for a child's mind. Encourage them to read pls.

32 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by CAPSLOCKED: 6:47am On Oct 14, 2016
patriotic9jaboy:
This woman and her senseless articles. How can u pay your child to read?


SHE USED TO MAKE SENSE,.......
UNTIL SHE DISCOVERED WEED AND GOT ADDICTED TO THE HARD DRUGS SHE FOUND IN THE STATES. undecided

11 Likes 1 Share

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Olukokosir(m): 6:48am On Oct 14, 2016
Pls " I am nt understanding" I shud pay my child to read even after payin his/her skool fees nd d likes ??




A kind of incentive thou .... Rather dan to pay him, I ll gv him/her sumtin else dat ll motivate him

3 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Nobody: 6:49am On Oct 14, 2016
Okay Adichie, I guess I will have to start from #1 per 100 paged book. grin

1 Like 1 Share

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by sumborri: 6:49am On Oct 14, 2016
Hypocrite. Go and live with that bufoon and see how people don't live what they preach. Feminisim is not being apologetic ? Well manism is also not being apologetic. Let's see which sex will go extinct first due to all the unaplogetic wickedness that would fill the world.

You write a few fictional books and all of a sudden she feels she knows Arrow about mankind or its acceptable valuesm women and senselessness is 5 and 6

15 Likes 2 Shares

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Nobody: 6:51am On Oct 14, 2016
sumborri:
Hypocrite. Go and live with that bufoon and see how people don't live what they preach. Feminisim is not being apologetic ? Well manism is also not being apologetic. Let's see which sex will go extinct first due to all the unaplogetic wickedness that would fill the world.

You write a few fictional books and all of a sudden she feels she knows Arrow about mankind or its acceptable valuesm women and senselessness is 5 and 6

Waoooo...bros ki la gbe ki le ju

3 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Nobody: 6:51am On Oct 14, 2016
patriotic9jaboy:
This woman and her senseless articles. How can u pay your child to read?

She may just require psychological evaluation. I strongly think something is wrong somewhere.

She is now a child psychologist, tomorrow a writer and the next day a politician. Something is definitely wrong somewhere within her.

6 Likes 1 Share

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by jide219(m): 6:54am On Oct 14, 2016
Pay your child to read ,mtchew rubbish,if e wan read make e read if e nor wan read dem make e relax,dem nor they force shit to smell ,any good child ,that has a good upbringing cannot be force or paid to read,because he/she wiil know its the right tin to do.i persume u were paid to read,so when I pay my child to read,he will continue to ask for another money and if I refuse he will not read.if every child is been paid to read then I wonder were this world would be heading to
I hereby declare this post senseless and useless.

9 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by doveda: 6:56am On Oct 14, 2016
Don't you just love this woman? grin

4 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by foladara777(m): 6:57am On Oct 14, 2016
1stCitizen:


She may just require psychological evaluation. I strongly think something is wrong somewhere.

She is now a child psychologist, tomorrow a writer and the next day a politician. Something is definitely wrong somewhere within her.
Another idiot

10 Likes 1 Share

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by OJUcrook: 7:01am On Oct 14, 2016
This overrated storyteller just dey yarn nonsense nowadays

5 Likes 1 Share

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by aljharem(m): 7:01am On Oct 14, 2016
This woman is too senseless abeg. Lol

I know she thinks otherwise but she is just a business woman

5 Likes 1 Share

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by doveda: 7:04am On Oct 14, 2016
Whoever said men are logical must have been high n dog shit when he said so.


Most children will rather play FIFA than read. When you pay them, after a while you won't have to because reading becomes an habit.


sisisioge:




grin grin grin

Very funny deduction there! Guy, this new age has totally moved away from reading so whatever it takes now is welcomed just to get them to read. A stipend promised to Junior is enough to encourage him to read. Reading does wonders for a child's mind. Encourage them to read pls.

12 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Tallesty1(m): 7:05am On Oct 14, 2016
we are suggesting that childcare is a mother’s territory
It truly is, she carried the child in her belly for nine months and she has breasts that produce milk for the child until it can eat solid food. These should tell Adiche something.
Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Ranchhoddas: 7:07am On Oct 14, 2016
This woman cannot write anything without making it sound like men and women are on a warpath. She should stick to fiction.

12 Likes 2 Shares

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by foladara777(m): 7:07am On Oct 14, 2016
aljharem:
This woman is too senseless abeg. Lol

I know she thinks otherwise but she is just a business woman
if our parents had paid us to read, it would have become a habit and d comments on nairaland will make more sense... But itz a pity, this is what we have

9 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Pavore9: 7:09am On Oct 14, 2016
She is so right, there should be incentives. Though l read as a child to escape into another world, having to have read Things Fall Apart, Kongi's Harvest, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, Rob Roy etc all before l finished primary school. While reading on the bed, it made my mind travel round the world! While l was in Secondary school, l did save to buy second-hand novels because l was addicted to reading. cheesy cheesy

Reading outside school texts is real fun! cheesy cheesy cheesy

15 Likes

Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by Olukokosir(m): 7:09am On Oct 14, 2016
foladara777:
Another idiot




Noted
Re: "Pay Your Child To Read"- Chimamanda Adichie On Child Care, Feminism. by foladara777(m): 7:12am On Oct 14, 2016
jide219:
Pay your child to read ,mtchew rubbish,if e wan read make e read if e nor wan read dem make e relax,dem nor they force shit to smell ,any good child ,that has a good upbringing cannot be force or paid to read,because he/she wiil know its the right tin to do.i persume u were paid to read,so when I pay my child to read,he will continue to ask for another money and if I refuse he will not read.if every child is been paid to read then I wonder were this world would be heading to
I hereby declare this post senseless and useless.
Have u heard of d word 'habit' before?? Yh, that's the point... Has your dad ever told u sumfin like "if u do well in your studies, I will buy you a bicycle"...
Itz pretty simple, really... Young children will generally not see a reason to read but by putting a reward on it, it becomes a habit. So even when there's no reward, they still read coz itz part of them

9 Likes

(1) (2) (3) (Reply)

A Nigerian Named The First Young People’s Laureate For London / In Hope After Emptiness (an Interesting Story / Veil

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 37
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.