Journalist Macharia Gaitho became a parent for the first time at the age of 20.
That was a journey he wasn’t ready for as he narrated on YouTube channel Engage where he described himself as a man for all seasons.
The chat was with his daughters Friday February 7, on his experience as a young dad to present, as a widower.
His daughters looked mortified as he told how he impregnated his then girlfriend while he was 19 at UoN, and she was 16.
“As i was finishing orientation week, my first child was born. It was from a relationship that started in High School”
He was admitted to the Faculty of Architecture.
, “Now imagine becoming a father at 20. You are just starting your first week at university. What do you do?”
He was confused at the situation, “I want to have fun, there are many g girls at college, but I didn’t run away for long. After I got my thoughts back together, I went back again”
He raised her with Boom “I would buy a packet of nappies and deliver”
Boom was the stipend allocated to university students.
“But I had to cope, and after college I had to make some decisions”
Working life made him realize he wanted to be a family man and a father.
“Along the way many other children followed. It was not easy. When I made the transition to journalism, I found a hard transition in terms of working life”.
Those long hours saw him spend long days away from family
“It was the nosiest, rowdiest, house you can imagine. And I am quiet man. i dont like noise. But we hang out there, we persevered, adulthood is about parenthood, now when you see these girls here, you dont know how much heartache they gave me, at the same time” he laughed “You dont know how much joy and pride they have given me and continue to give me”
That elicited an awww from the audience as he continued to narrate.
“We try to get together as often as we can I’m still there, I’m still their father, I try to guide them. Most of the times they disobey me, but there’s something I learnt from my own father. Let your children grow, let them make mistakes, they will learn, and they will straighten themselves out”
“We have gone through plenty together, good times, bad times, rough times,”
“It’s when I realized the value of these children, they are stronger than me, they are the ones who held me together, and they are the ones who still hold me together”
by MAUREEN WARUINGE
