A father brings up his boys as a single Dad after the unexpected death of his wife during childbirth. Bennett Uche Chijioke who is a Realtor is raising his three sons all by himself and assisted by his sister who lives with them. According to him, it is an exhausting job raising three superheroes and it has not been easy for him because after a long day at work and on the field, he has to talk to all three of them, ask them about school, how their day went, and assist them with their home work.
“I do all these because that’s what their mum did, so I have to keep her legacy.
The hardest moment was when I lost my wife to childbirth. The Doctor came to me and said, “Your wife couldn’t make it. She lost a lot of blood and was very weak.” I don’t want to talk about this, it gives me shivers and sad memories. It’s really dark and deep, and always fresh.
It was hard because I had to raise Brian (10 years old), Ryan (9 years old) and Rian (8 years old) all by myself, and Rian was an infant.
My boys are my best friends. The way they look out for each other makes me so happy; They want to eat together and do everything together. I tell myself that I’m so blessed and God has been faithful and merciful.
I blamed my last child, Rian for my wife’s death because if he wasn’t born she would be here with us. I never told anyone this because it sounds crazy but I felt awful. I look back now and wish I never had that in mind or felt that way.
My boys don’t listen; They are always running around the house wrestling, and when you yell at one, they all get mad at you.
It’s really hard because boys will always be boys but I just had to find an easier way to communicate with them.
We spend so much time together on Saturdays and Sundays (after Mass). We go to the park, get ice cream and things they want. It’s more like a ritual for us except I travelled or something very important came up.
My younger sister lives with me and she assists a lot with taking care of the boys. Spending time with my heroes they give me all the vibes. To be honest, they make me laugh so hard. I cannot trade moments with my boys for anything. They mean the world to me; There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them. I am their mum and dad at the same time.
Rian, my last born is my favourite. He looks so much like his mum, very intelligent, and full of life. I am telling all fathers to create a communication system with their children because they will tell you everything happening in their lives and teach you things you don’t know.
My boys taught me phonetic spelling, alphabet and transcription.”
When asked if he wished he had a daughter, Mr Bennett mentioned that the thought never crossed his mind.