You are extremely excited about the developing bundle of joy, you have picked out a name and are already planning your visit vacation.

Or perhaps you are freaking out. You are scared. You’re a single mother, your spouse and you cannot afford another child at the moment, maybe you are unemployed or you are too young to have a baby.  However, you have kept your baby, so congratulations for that.

Personally, for me, bringing a human being into this world is not only the highest form of spirituality and science but an opportunity for character transformation. For those who are religious, giving birth to a baby is like travelling to the other world and bringing back a human message. But for most of us, our worries and earthly circumstances overshadow this great blessing.

Of course, being a parent – a first time parent for that matter – is going to be a challenging journey; the storm is definitely coming, but like the old folks used to say, “Don’t wait for the storms of your life to pass. Learn to dance in the rain.”  Relax your mind and increase your faith. Enjoy the journey. 
The millennial generation is one that sadly frowns at the concept of parenting. Probably, rightfully so, as children are said to be expensive, millennials do not want to take responsibility for a child, there is too little time to raise a child, we are career orientated, it is hard to find the right partner to reproduce with or maybe we just want to be able to continue partying until our late 30s. 

I, too, was programmed to believe that children were a setback. Until one fateful day, while in my second year of varsity, I decided to visit my uncle. This visit completely changed my mindset. 
One of my female cousins was also visiting my uncle at the time. Although she was younger than I am, less educated and clearly financially strained, the manner in which she cared for her young son left me not only in total amazement but completely illuminated. The fear I had about having children vanished and was replaced with an incredible testimony and life-changing lesson. 

Naturally, I was to look at her with pity, but instead I looked at her with admiration. Her strength and her dedication to ride the storm was inspiring. Her son’s clothes, even though old, were clean. Despite the fact that all she had was vaseline, her son’s skin was well groomed. Her son was content in his mother’s love. 
Although society would deem her a failure who has nothing to offer, my cousin unknowingly taught her more educated cousin a lesson that no academic can ever teach me: being a good parent comes from within and external factors such as marriage, money etc., are the bonus.  I thank God for that fateful encounter because four years later, I found myself pregnant. 

My name is Paulina N. Moses. Apparently, I have achieved a lot in my life. These accomplishments often leave other people in awe – except for me. At 31 years old, the only achievement that I find worthy of mentioning is becoming a mother.  I have never been this good and invested in a job before.
Raising my three-year-old daughter in the 21st century involves a lot of juggling but is extremely fulfilling. I am sure many millennial parents have the same experiences. This column hopes to create momentum for positive parenting by candidly discussing everything about parenting, while creating a network of millennial parents who support and cheer one another on.
Welcome to Raising Naneni.