My hubby is from the Ibo speaking part of Delta State, Nigeria. In that part of the Country, every first male child in any family is referred to as the "Diokpa". In the simple terms, the Diopka is the head of the Family.
Recently, Tee was in one of his whining moods and I was just NOT in the mood to pet him. Instead, I chose to have a "chat" with him. In the course of the chat, I explained to him that he is almost 6 years old, and therefore, he is a big boy. I added that as a "big boy" he is not permitted to whine any more! I added that as the first son, he is the Diokpa of the family, and Diokpas don't whine or cry! That was it o! Now, he tries to comport himself as a "Diokpa". Whenever I notice he is about to change gear into one of his whining moods, I just simply say "It's a shame that the Diopka is about to whine!" Immediately, he'll switch to a better and acceptable mood!
One day, he was trying to assert his Diokpa right on Gee. He said to her "since I am the Diokpa, I am in charge of the house . . ." Gee immediately, retorted saying, "well, I am the FIRST child of this family and I AM in charge, so you must respect my views." When he asked me to say something on the issue, I said, "Gee is right. You have to respect her as the Ada of the family" I explained that an "Ada" is the first daughter of every family! At least, that settled it.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
