By Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger’ –Psalm 8:2
From the mouth of a naughty little boy with the most admirable persuasive skills
From a beloved child, whose mother is teaching a valuable lesson in consequences
From one who we all recognise in every innocent little face around us
Two simple words of the most profound wisdom
Calm Down
Yes, Mummy is fed up and angry
She has told him not to do it, whatever it is, over and over
Like most children his age
Words are meant for entry into the left ear and exit from the right
So Mummy decides to drive home her message with some permanence
Somewhere in the center of his brain, before it finds the door out again
The game is up.
Mummy is mad as hell, no surprise there, all mothers can relate
A child who has no fear of authority becomes an adult who is fearless in all the wrong ways
Something those struggling to parent in this day and age have to contend with
‘Old School’ Mummy is not about to be found wanting
Poor boy was afraid of getting the beating of his little life
I got mine when I was nine years old
Back in the day, there were no threats of being beaten
There was no room for negotiation
You just got a sound beating
With no notice, no theatrics, no videos, no opportunity to plead your case
If you were asked what you did wrong, you got beaten if you knew why
If you did not know what you did wrong, your beating was doubled
If you cried, you got beaten, if you didn’t, it was tripled
This is 2020, so the little chap was able to change the narrative with two words
Calm Down
We are all angry over one thing or the other
There is something that ails us, bothers us, makes us cry or keeps us awake at night
Now from the mouth of a terrified little boy, we can see our way through
Calm down
Tomorrow will be better
For the hard of hearing, who need to hear, here is an opportunity
Calm down
When you do, you will hear the rumblings of the bellies of the hungry
You will hear the groans of the sick, who have no means of a cure
You will hear the painful cries of the unclad women wailing for justice
You might even hear the whimpers of the millions of children wandering the streets with no hope
Calm down
Two words that should flash like neon lights
For those living life on the fast lane on real and imaginary superhighways
My mansion is bigger than yours
My bag is more expensive than yours
My wedding cost more than hers
My wristwatch can buy a house
My car says I am not your mate
My jewelry is real not fake
Calm Down
Did you hear?
What did he say?
Say that again, You don’t mean it!
Really?
Where?
When?
How?
Calm down
Mind your own business
For those who are not content with their blessings
And are blind to the full cup so heavy it has to be held with both hands
Yet ignore words of restraint to chase after promises of a bigger cup
And now find themselves bereft of both cup and contents
Calm Down
Little Master ‘Calm Down’ also has a demonstration of ‘Calm Down’.
He lies down to show Mummy how she should ‘Calm Down’
Let us follow his example
We can Calm Down by lying down
We can Calm Down by laying down
We can hold our anger and sharp tongues
We can still our fingers from typing mischief
We can have a humble spirit that leads us to the realisation that it is not always about us
We can stop bearing false witness
We can desist from false prophecies and ignore false prophets
We can find stillness in helping others
We can shift our anger to purpose
Calm Down
Now the smart fellow is an Ambassador
He will go around preaching a message of peace and love
The Governor wants to meet him
The little Ambassador’s words have resonated with him
In this season, when we are all fighting for our lives one way or the other
When we do not know who wakes up before dawn comes
Or who departs before sunset
Calm Down
Maybe I should have said that to my mother all those years ago
The days of the slippers, belts and custom-made sticks
Only problem is: I would not have been here to write this!
Calm Down.
Calm Down.
Calm Down.
*Adeleye-Fayemi, a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer, is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women, as well as the First Lady of Ekiti State, and she can be reached at BAF@abovewhispers.com
