I wanted to know why my mom was so hard on us kids growing up. So I finally asked

"Work hard my children." That's what my mother always told me and my siblings. All I wanted to do was play hide and seek and netball. Years later, we had a good talk about her parenting style. Essay by Esther Ngumbi. Editor: Marc Silver. Publishing Sunday morning. Adapted from an earlier essay by Esther Ngumbi from a few years ago.

May 11, 2025 - 12:38
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I wanted to know why my mom was so hard on us kids growing up. So I finally asked
Mother knows best: Bertha Ngumbi with her daughter, Esther, who says, "My dear mother is one of the most hardworking women I can think of." But when she was growing up and her mother told her she should work hard — that wasn

"Work hard my children." That's what my mother always told me and my siblings. All I wanted to do was play hide and seek and netball. Years later, we had a good talk about her parenting style. Essay by Esther Ngumbi. Editor: Marc Silver. Publishing Sunday morning. Adapted from an earlier essay by Esther Ngumbi from a few years ago.

(Image credit: Family photo)