As you may know, I’m a mom to three incredible kids—two girls, Anako and Iminathi, and a boy named Lulo—and also an amazing aunt to my niece Zozo. I love my four to the moon and back. Trust me, there’s never a day without its own drama. They are all different in personalities but all have a little bit of cruelty towards each other—not the bad kind, but the kind that makes you laugh and remember all the silly things you did to your siblings growing up.
Anako: “God Gave His Best”
The oldest is Anako, whose beautiful name means “God gave his best.” She’s quiet, shy, and loves her own space. She can be giggly but still very reserved. Recently, this young adult discovered that she has a beard—well, one single hair growing on her chin—and she’s absolutely not having it. She’s stressed about it, poor thing. I think she cut it off recently and it just grew back again, and now she’s hysterical trying to find ways to make it stop growing. She’s a hairy girl who grew up loving her hair, but she hates that beard with a passion. Watching her navigate this tiny, hilarious crisis reminds me that even our calmest, most composed children still have their adorable vulnerabilities. One chin hair has become her arch-nemesis, and honestly? It’s the most relatable thing I’ve ever witnessed.
Zozo: Calmness with a Side of Mood Swings
Then there’s Zozo, whose full name is Azolile, meaning “calmness.” She’s my niece but my second daughter—very confident, always pushing boundaries, but so loving and willing to go out of her way to make the next person feel better. She’s an angel, truly. Though lately? She’s moody. Very moody. I don’t even know how to deal with it, so I just give her space. She’s also in that stage where she takes her hygiene very seriously, which is wonderful and slightly terrifying all at once. One minute she’s the thoughtful girl who’ll lift your spirits, the next she’s slamming doors because the world is simply too much. But that duality? That’s what makes her magic. She’s learning who she is, one mood swing at a time.
Iminathi: God Stands With Us (And Apparently, With the Animals Too)
Then there’s Iminathi. Her name means “God stands with us,” and let me tell you—she stands with everyone, including the animals. Confident but with a quiet confidence, not loud. This one never runs out of things to say to a person; she will engage you at any level. She has a strong character, adapts easily, but also has serious boundaries and takes them seriously. Recently, she told me she’s a vegetarian. She doesn’t consume any meat anymore. I don’t think she fully knows why she’s a vegetarian other than the fact that she doesn’t like that animals need to die for humans to eat. She says she’s on the animals’ side. She’s only 10 years old. Ten! At an age where most kids are just trying to survive multiplication tables, my daughter has found her cause. She sits at the dinner table, politely declining chicken while explaining to her siblings that “that chicken had a family.” The conviction! The passion! I have to hide my smile because she’s so earnest, so sure. She doesn’t quite understand all the complexities yet, but she knows her heart, and she’s following it. How many adults can say that?
And Lulo? He’s There Too!
Oh, and I can’t forget my boy Lulo! He’s right there in the mix, probably causing chaos or being the peacemaker—sometimes both within the same five minutes. Boys have their own beautiful energy, and Lulo brings that perfect balance to our girl-heavy crew. He’s the exclamation point in our sentence of a family.
The Beautiful Mess
Every day is a symphony of personalities: Anako retreating to her sanctuary, Zozo oscillating between angel and tempest, Iminathi staging her one-girl animal rights revolution, and Lulo being wonderfully, perfectly Lulo. They bicker, they tease, they drive each other absolutely up the wall. But underneath it all? There’s so much love it could power a small city.
The chin hair crises, the moody silences, the dinner table activism—it’s all part of this wild, wonderful ride. They are cruel to each other in that sibling way that means “I love you so much I have to annoy you.” It’s the same cruelty I remember inflicting on my own siblings, the kind that builds inside jokes and lifelong bonds.
My four. To the moon and back. Always. 🌙
