{"id":8079,"date":"2013-08-10T09:40:04","date_gmt":"2013-08-10T09:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/my-parents-named-me-star-ejenobor\/"},"modified":"2013-08-10T09:40:04","modified_gmt":"2013-08-10T09:40:04","slug":"my-parents-named-me-star-ejenobor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/my-parents-named-me-star-ejenobor\/","title":{"rendered":"My parents named me \u2018star\u2019 \u2013Ejenobor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ufuoma Stacey Ejenobor is a highly celebrated Nollywood actress<\/em><\/span> and model. Born in Benin\u00a0 City some decades ago, she was the Best Actress nominee at the Monte Carlo Television Festival in 2010. Most famous for\u00a0her single motherly role in \u201cMy mum and I\u201d,\u00a0 a T.V series, the ex-beauty\u00a0queen and mother spoke with YEMISI ADENIRAN on her rare childhood and exploits in the make-believe world. Excerpts:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Where did you grow up and how would you describe it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was born in Benin City but my parents are from Delta State. I spent the best of my toddling years in Benin and Jos before I came down to Lagos where I grew up into adulthood.<\/p>\n

I grew up in a loving and warm environment which made my childhood most memorable for me. My parents were loving and kept a closely knit family where we were all shown the meaning and essence of love in life.<\/p>\n

Childhood, in short, was fun. We were allowed to play when it was necessary and made to work when it was necessary.<\/p>\n

I might not have got all that I needed as a child but they made available all that I needed. We never lacked anything good or necessary and we were all well guided and piloted in life. This is not what many people enjoyed, so, I am grateful to God and my parents for the opportunity.<\/p>\n

I appreciate all of these and I pray that God will grant my husband and I the grace to do the same, even more, for our kids. They were not too harsh and at the same time not too lenient with us. We had a good listening from them and with patience they tolerated our foolishness in all of its forms. I had a rare childhood that I will treasure till I die.<\/p>\n

How rare is your childhood?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a child, I loved to read and watch television so much that I could forget my hunger just to be in front of a TV set. Several times, I burnt meals that we would eat just because of a TV show.<\/p>\n

Despite all, my parents never banned me from the TV like many would have ordinarily done. They loved my passion such that both of them at different times named me a star even before I could understand the meaning.<\/p>\n

My father called me Isio, meaning a star in Urhobe language, while my mother also named me after the star actress in Telefest, one of the popular soaps on NTA Benin, then.<\/p>\n

My mum would always call me a TV star at any slightest move I made and it became a household name for me then. We were allowed to travel to Jos and have a feel of its nature\u2019s rocky gifts and explore it.<\/p>\n

This, I could say, did not come easy and cheap to children but from a rare set of parents that God gave me. I appreciate them and really, like I said, will want to tow their ways and strive to better it.<\/p>\n

What effects would you say all of these had on your adulthood?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When they were doing all that they did, they did not know they were prophesying on my future. Today, I am a television star and doing well, all glory is to God. In my primary and secondary schools, I was a star.<\/p>\n

I got an award as a brownie and was the best in Mathematics and French apart from coming first throughout my primary school. Apart from standing out in the academics, I was a good sports woman and did my school, Federal Government College Odogbolu, Ogun State, proud in sporting competitions.<\/p>\n

I won numerous gold medals in Javelin, Discus, Shot put and Hurdles. These are besides debate competitions where I also did them proud. I was the Head Girl in my set.<\/p>\n

What I want to bring out here is that because my parents allowed me to take a leap at every good endeavour, I had no fear to go for any competition and I always wanted to be a star wherever I find myself.<\/p>\n

I was trained to have my eyes on the best and get the best which has helped me up till today. The good push they gave me, the good words they spoke concerning my efforts helped me to form a worthy character that I can talk about today. In addition, it has also helped me to develop the same habit and style in training my own children.<\/p>\n

What would you want parents to learn from these?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Very simple and clear. They should cultivate the habit of using their tongues positively on their children. Good words work well for children while bad words take a terrible turn on them in the future.<\/p>\n

Besides, it is always good for parents to be very mature when dealing with their children. They should take their times to discover their talents, their passion and encourage them as much as they can. It is wrong to impose their desires on their children no matter how good it may be.<\/p>\n

Allowing children tow the path they have chosen from heaven or divinely will help them live a fulfilled life and early too. Most parents mislead their children unknowingly thorough their finicky styles.<\/p>\n

They should not again compare their children to others. Allow your children live their own life and not another\u2019s. If my parents had pushed me into such profession as Medicine or Engineering may be I would have struggled to pass but I would definitely have not become the star I was destined to be. Parents should also be careful not to be too strict with their children.<\/p>\n

When you beat or scold your child to the extreme, he or she is likely to develop fear of doing anything good because you would create that \u201cnever-doing- well\u201d feeling into his or her unconsciousness which at the end of the day will hinder him from taking a determinant leap of success in life.<\/p>\n

Giving them the feeling that they can do all things is always the best. Some parents take delight in scaring their children about life through all kinds of gory tales of witches and enemies here and there such that the children grow with the feeling of fear and suspicion.<\/p>\n

They grow to suspect others and even read meanings into their own actions and desires. This is not healthy enough. We must try and help children grow up with a positive mind towards life; this will help them live a positive life at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

Parents should give good guidance to children, put them through what is right and wrong in life and keep a close watch on them as they grow. They should also pray for them and lead them in the way of the Lord.<\/p>\n

Parents should know that the kind of childhood a child is exposed to goes a long way in whatever he or she becomes as an adult. The period of childhood is a fundamental period and should be taken or handled seriously.<\/p>\n

What lessons are there in My Mum and I, the TV series that gave you an award in 2010?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is about a single mother and her growing daughter. It preaches a lot to parents in such a situation. One major lesson there is that mothers should be close to their daughters such that their interests will be top on the list when their daughters are to make any decision.<\/p>\n

They should make their daughters their friends and live a life of good example. Besides, it also teaches that the fact that one is single is not a licence for waywardness. We must know as a woman that our children are watching us closely and that we are role models to our girls especially. Every episode has its peculiar lesson for whoever cares to find out.<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: National Mirror Newspaper<\/p>\n

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