Nollywood actor Ayo Badmus in a new interview with Sunday Scoop, has opened up on what fatherhood is for like him. According to the Yoruba actor he found it hard to bond with his kids at first but still does not show emotion still date. Read excerpts from the interview below;
 How would you define fatherhood? Fatherhood means responsibility. It is being a father to your children, a head of the house and a person who takes responsibility for everyone in the home. A father is like an umbrella where every other member of the house takes shade. Do you think you started having children late? Yes, I would say I started late. I was not settled and did not understand woman as of then. I was scared of being committed to a relationship. Whenever my girlfriends talked about marriage in those days, I would run away; that was usually the end of such relationship. I was scared of settling down and my mother got angry with me when I refused to settle down. I couldn’t explain my fears to her then before I eventually started a family. 
What were your fears? I was scared that I would be caged and all I would be hearing in the house was ‘good morning sir’. I found it scary. I come from a very beautiful and peaceful family which I ought to emulate but I did not know the reason for my fears. Were you there when your wife was delivered of your first child? No. I was in Nigeria while she was in England. Did you get emotional when you carried your baby? I felt good and happy but I am not an emotional person. I am not just naturally emotional. I just carry them and play with them. It took a while before I bonded with my children and began to express my emotions which I should have done earlier. It’s not like I had issues with the baby. The problem was just with me. Did you help with the house chores? No, I am often not usually needed in that aspect. I am very lucky with that. The women I have been involved with are often very strong. My wife would have done most of the house chores and even when I offered to help out, she wouldn’t just allow me. Women are stronger than men. She would have done everything and I only went out to buy things for the family for all to be happy. How do your discipline your children? I correct before I take any hard measure which I often do not have to take. It is when they don’t listen to me that I now smack. I hardly smack them. I talk to them and lead by example. I let them know that I was very tough while I was much younger. I tell them stories why they should not go astray. I also do not shout on them because whenever I do, they often shiver and I don’t want that. Some believe that being gentle on male children can make them stubborn. How would you react to that?  That is true, but like I said, I was tough as a child having grown up on Lagos Island. I went through a lot. In fact, I didn’t know I could attain this feat in life. I don’t know where those we grew up together are at the moment. Thankfully, when I was 11 years, my elder sister took me from my parents’ place to hers and retrained me for me to become what I am. I inspire my children with my story. Male children can be taught. It is not about beating, it is by showing example. One shouldn’t get tired of telling their children their stories. What lessons would you want your children to learn from you? I am not a religious person but I want my children to know God because that is the only thing that can save them from the vices in this generation. How do you appreciate your children when they make you proud? Like I said earlier, I am not an emotional person. When they do well, especially in their academics, deep down inside of me, I am happy but I don’t know how to express it. We are just a normal family. Do you discuss relationships with them? We talk about everything and they also ask me questions. If they ask me things that I can answer, I do. I make them know that I have been there before and there is nothing new in whatever they are passing through. We talk about things and I help them proffer solutions to whatever problem they have. What special thing has your wife and children bought for you? Nothing, and sincerely I haven’t bought anything special for them. I love them and they love me too, we hang out once in a while, we are just a cool family. I am not an emotional person; maybe, they are following my examples. Hopeful, I will surprise them one of these days. What do you think you should have done better as a father? I should have married the mother of my child and kept my family in one place. I believe I would have been a better father if I can keep all my family together. What has fatherhood taken away from you? Fatherhood has taken my freedom from me. I usually love to disappear for a while and come back whenever I want but fatherhood has taken all that from me. I cannot do whatever I like. I have to check the effect on my children. For example, I can’t do fraud because I don’t want to bring shame on my children. What is your advice to aspiring fathers? I will like to tell them that fatherhood is not a joke; it is a serious business. It takes one’s freedom away from one. It means being responsible for a lifetime. Don’t rush into any marriage when you are not ready. Be convinced that you are ready to do it. When you start, there is no going back. It is a route of no return. As soon as you enter into it, you take up an entirely different life.  Photo Credit: Getty
