Girls to Women

The journey to womanhood for a girl is a protracted task. It is not for nothing that the Russian writer Griboyedov in his book The Importance of Being Clever penned: “What a job it is to be a growing-up daughter’s father!” Among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, the girl-child is given pride of place through […]

The journey to womanhood for a girl is a protracted task. It is not for nothing that the Russian writer Griboyedov in his book The Importance of Being Clever penned: “What a job it is to be a growing-up daughter’s father!” Among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, the girl-child is given pride of place through the saying: “One is not yet a parent until one has begotten a girl.” It takes special care to groom the girl-child, and this is the great recommendation of Chioma Obiefuna’s My Body, Mind and Spirit. The 124-page book which is aptly subtitled “What every SMART girl needs to know” treats such germane issues as puberty, menstruation, peer pressure, self-esteem, body image, sexuality, company of boys, mood swings, rebellion, talking to parents and sundry adults, money management, spirituality, building character etc.

As a very necessary handbook for young girls, My Body, Mind and Spirit by Chioma Obiefuna teems with nuggets of wisdom on how the girl can make without much ado the transition from girlhood to womanhood. The Introduction renders the locus of My Body, Mind and Spirit thusly: “This book is the perfect tool to guide you on your journey from childhood to adulthood. In it, you will learn the basic things you need to know to help you grow into an extraordinary woman, because it will give you tips on how to deal with the new challenges and issues that will come your way. With God’s grace, you will have an incredible time during your teenage years, and grow up to be a joy to your family and friends, a positive member of the society and an inspirational addition to your generation.”

Obiefuna illustrates her points with test-cases from the likes of Chinma who confesses that her teenage years were quite awkward and would have benefited a lot from having necessary information that was not forthcoming. According to Tomi, “I noticed that I was beginning to get so much bigger than my best friend. My breasts were already coming out and I had become taller than her. I didn’t understand why because we were both ten years old. I didn’t like it.”

Books such as Obiefuna’s My Body, Mind and Spirit should be in the Nigerian school curriculum to save our young ones from the troubles of growing to adulthood via uncharted but treacherous quarters. The need for sex education cannot be gainsaid, but what exists in Nigeria today is the perpetual waffle about wearing condoms!

At the end of every chapter Obiefuna leaves for the reader a reminder “Always Remember…” as per this vista on page 69: “Girls can be victims of sexual crimes like rape so when boys or men, especially those who are older, approach you, be wary and do not associate with them as you are not experienced enough to deal with them.”

She candidly advises rebelling against parents and other authority figures, asserting: “to get respect, you must give respect.” Respect is indeed reciprocal. It is incumbent on the growing girl to learn that it takes perseverance to make a success of life.

Obiefuna had in 2011 published Tales of the Single Woman, an insightful and humorous encounter with the single Nigerian woman.

Unlike the lightheartedness of Tales of the Single Woman, Obiefuna’s current book, My Body, Mind and Spirit, is indeed more serious and didactic. I am yet to see a book written in Nigeria that lends such consummate attention to growing pains. The phenomenon of girlhood is elevated in such a manner that the emerging woman stands in grace.

For Obiefuna, GIRL stands for: Gorgeous, Intelligent, Resourceful, Large-hearted. In this new “http://” age the author supplies a score or so online sites for further reading on the world-wide-web.

Chioma Obiefuna has written a very important book for these turbulent times. Every growing girl needs to own a copy of My Body, Mind and Spirit. All parents need copies of the book too. As has been earlier deposed here, the Nigerian school curriculum needs this book to guide our growing girls past the minefield of growth into womanhood.