“I Would Take The Night Shift, And He Would Work During The Day”- Nigerian Lady Shares How She And Her Husband Maneuver Work So They Can Spend Time With Their Kids In The Early Days Of Relocating Abroad

Nigerian lady named Chisom Chigbo has shared the biggest challenge she encountered with her husband when they newly relocated to the UK before moving to Canada.

Chisom recounts working night shift while her husband worked in the day, that way they were able to bond with their kids

Though it was tough and there were times she cried, but looking back, things are better now and she went on to encourage others.

In her words:

“When we moved from Nigeria to the UK, my whole life took a 360.
Back home, I was a fully present mum. I was with my kids every step of the way. I didn’t have to split myself between survival and motherhood the way I later did.

But life abroad is very different.
Bills didn’t care about emotions, and survival became the order of the day.
So me and my husband made a plan, I would take the night shift, and he would work during the day.
That way someone would always be around for the children.
At least, that’s what we thought.

What we didn’t account for was that tiny gap, the 20 to 30 minutes in between. The time when I had to leave for work before he got back home.
Just thirty minutes, but for a mother, it felt like a lifetime.

I remember every evening, as I put on my uniform, tears would gather in my eyes. I would hug my children tightly, whisper prayers over them, and step out with a heavy heart.
On my way to work, I would cry silently in the bus or while trekking.
My chest would feel heavy until I got that one call I was always waiting for, my husband’s voice saying, “I’m home now.”

Those minutes between me leaving and him arriving were t0rture.
I would imagine every possible scenario and anytime I saw a police car passing on the road, my heart would skip beats.

I would think, “God, don’t let them be heading to my house, don’t let them knock on that door.” It felt like at any moment, someone would judge me as unfit, and take my babies away.

That fear nearly swallowed me whole.
The guilt ate me from inside, at work I would smile, but during breaks, I would cry in the bathroom wondering if I was failing as a mother. Wondering if my children would ever forgive me.

But you see, we did what we had to do to survive. That short window of fear was part of the sacrifice that built the life we are living today.

Those children I thought I was failing? They are thriving now, they know the story, they know the tears, and they understand that mum and dad fought tooth and nail for them.

And today, when I look around in Canada, I see the difference. I see my children running in and out of our home, laughing freely, with no shadow of fear over me anymore.
I see stability, peace, and comfort that was birthed out of those years of sacrifice.

Now when I think back to that mother crying silently on her way to night shifts in the UK, I don’t see failure. I see a woman who refused to give up.

I see resilience, grit, and the type of strength that only storms can build in you.

If you are in that season where guilt and survival are fighting you daily, please know this, you are not failing, you are fightinnnng and one day, you will look back like me and realize you were stronger than you ever imagined.

Have you ever lived through a season where you felt like you were failing, but it turned out you were actually building your strength?”

Source: Chisom Chigbo| Facebook

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com