NINI OKEY-UCHE: Life As a Mum to My Adorable Brood of 7!

With 7 kids, the recurring question I get from people is, ‘Don’t you guys have any other form of recreation?’ It’s a jibe, but I don’t mind. I’ve always wanted to have many children. Growing up, I was enthralled by programmes like ‘The Brady Bunch’ with their 6 kids! It was like a mega-fun sleep-over that just never seemed to end! That’s the exact description of my home today!

The initial plan was to have four kids, but after about 7 years of marriage, I found myself yearning for another girl, and my ‘double-double God’ gave me twins! Then, while the twins were still tiny, my last girl defied medicine and forced her way through! I literally went into hiding then as I had no logical answer for ‘The Press’ (friends, foes, strangers and family!), but today, I’m endlessly thankful to God for my clan. However, parenting a large number is very tedious, especially while keeping a full time job. There’s hardly enough breathing space but I keep getting better at it as I learn from my mistakes.

For a mum who’s served her time in the labour ward 6 times with no epidural or episiotomy, I’m pleased to tell people who notice I look younger than my age that the secret behind my radiance is 5 percent MAC Make-up mixed with 95 percent Holy Spirit!

The major challenge is finance. With 7 kids and 2 nannies, my husband and I definitely have to spread it quite thin. We just have to combine incomes and do the best we can. Fortunately, being a diplomat, there’s a lot of government assistance with rent and fees for the first 4 kids while working abroad, so that has helped in no small measure. We have to work harder than most, teach our kids to be content and appreciative of what they have, know that they can live without what they don’t and above all, trust God to bless our efforts.

Two of my boys are avid footballers, so I’m pulling all stops to encourage them. They are so skilled at the game that each time I watch them play a match, everyone swears they can see dollar signs in my eyes!!! I hope this materialises.

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I’ve not had issues keeping fit however. From primary school till the end of my University education, I was an avid athlete. I still hold records in all my schools in the UK for the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, long and high jump. I must say I’m not as active as that anymore. I tried joining a gym a while ago, but it didn’t work for me. Neither does jogging or walking. I do love to dance though, and that really is my lifestyle form of exercise. Though you won’t find me in a club, I relish the occasional house party of close friends where we dig it from dusk to dawn! Besides that, I guess catering for 7 kids, having a demanding job, watching what I eat and doing lots of house chores has a way of keeping my calories in check. Still, I plan to acquaint myself with the Zumba lovers of the world soon.

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