Taking care of boy child – National Girlfriends Day has nothing to do with a boyfriend or Kenya
Today, August 1st 2019, is a National Girlfriends Day. Yesterday many women took to the social media especially Facebook and WhatsApp to post an update reading thus: “Tomorrow is National Girlfriends day, utapostiwa ama Mungu ni mume wa wajane?”. This update and others like it assume two things: 1. That National Girlfriends Day has something to do with being appreciated by a boyfriend (or husband), and 2. That it is an International Day. The two assumptions are completely wrong.
In the wording of the day one should get a hint that it is a national day, not an International one. The question whoever wants to celebrate the day ought to ask themselves is, which nation does the day belong to? The answer can easily be found in the National Day Calendar website that introduces the day a celebrated “across the United States” … not Africa, and definitely not Kenya. Just like Halloween Day, Independence Day, and other National holidays celebrated in the United States, National Girlfriends Day belongs to the United States. This is important because already many women in Kenya have piled up emotional luggage ready to be unleashed on their unsuspecting boyfriends who have no idea that they should give some special treatment to their girlfriends supposedly in accordance to the spirit of the National Girlfriends Day, even when majority of the girlfriends themselves are hearing of the day for the first time. Anyway the good news is that most of these women are expecting to be posted on social media status updates and nothing more.
The second confusion is that National Girlfriends Day has something to do with boyfriends. Back to the National Day Calendar website, the introduction to the article on National Girlfriends Day states clearly as follows, “On August 1, National Girlfriends Day encourages women across the U.S. to get together and celebrate their special bond of friendship”. In this first sentence, there is no indication whatsoever that a man is part of the Day’s celebrations. No hint that a man should post his girlfriend anywhere, or treat her any differently from how he treats her on any normal day. Probably the only thing a man can do for the girlfriend is to allow her to go out and spend time with her girlfriends. The article goes ahead to explain the spirit of the day as follows, “Girlfriends fall into many categories. While many grew up together, others meet through work or college. Still, others share a bond much deeper; sisters and mothers meet the definition of girlfriends, too. Though these types of relationships cross our minds frequently, we often fail to set aside time to spend with each other. The day promotes the laughter and joys girlfriends bring. Rarely do girlfriends let another go it alone. Not only do they enjoy spending time together, they support each other, too. While laughing and sharing secrets, girlfriends offer advice and celebrate successes. When it’s time for a glass of wine, a chat over a cup of coffee or to go for a long walk, girlfriends are there”.
To the boy child who will be forced to do a number of things as a show of appreciation to their girlfriends BECAUSE OF THE DAY, I urge you to direct your girlfriends to this article.
