Doctor Fitness on Exciting Parenting !

I saw Esther Dindi for the first time on NTV’s, Better Living Show with Kobi Kihara. I could not help but notice her zeal and commitment towards health and fitness. Being in the medical field, she was well placed to talk about body systems with ease. I almost skewed from my long time love, Paediatrics, to Internal Medicine just like her (I was damn serious then!). The most exciting thing was the passion that she had for maintaining a healthy body and keeping fit. I have been watching her YouTube videos on how to exercise each morning.

I was elated when I managed to land an interview with her- the kind of excitement that comes with a Christmas morning! She describes her family so well, her supportive husband, and the adorable children. To ensure that I did not miss out on anything that she said, I ensured that I carried my recorder so that I could listen to the interview later on. Here is the whole interview with Doctor Fitness.

Exciting Parenting: How many children do you have and what are their ages?

Doctor Fitness: I have 3 children- 2 boys and a girl. The firstborns are twins- Darlene and Joshua- who are 9 years old, and the last born (Caleb) is now about 2 and a half.

Exciting Parenting: What amount of time do you set aside to spend your children each day and during the weekends?

Doctor Fitness: I usually spend time with the twins after school. We are lucky that their school is within the estate meaning that they get home early. We like to hang out in the kitchen, where they help me out in preparing dinner.

We also love to do board games and story books. The highlight of their evenings, however, is usually the debate times – one of them is paired with dad and the other with me. The ensuing debates are always heated and passionate.For Caleb, I spend most of the day when am not at work with him. He loves fooling around with peekaboo being his favorite game!

Exciting Parenting: What challenges have you faced when bringing up your beautiful angels?

Doctor Fitness: The challenges faced have been in making time for them during the busier periods of my career development and especially during my master’s program which was very intense. Am blessed to have a great husband who stepped in and would play with them lots when I had to be studying. The other challenge has been instilling values we hold dear when the environment they go into everyday seems to be screaming the opposite. I remember a time we were in the village and they saw a politician dishing out cash to be elected; and how confusing it was when we had a conversation on why we shouldn’t elect such leaders.

Exciting Parenting: What plans and dreams do you have for them? What career paths would you want them to take?

Doctor Fitness: My dream is to raise well balanced children who will be able to make sober decisions at crossroad moments in their lives. I will count myself a successful parent when my children can, on their own, chose to do the right thing even when it is unpopular to do so. My daughter wants to follow the family pathway into medicine. The young man, on the other hand, is more artsy and I would be glad to see them pursue careers they truly enjoy devoid of duress from us.

Exciting Parenting: What are the societal breaches you have noticed in parenting? How would you want them addressed? What would you advise the parents out there?

Doctor Fitness: Looking at the parenting landscape out there I feel there is need to be more intentional in the parenting approach. I think a lot of kids are being brought up without their parents, as career progression and economic growth seems to be prioritized over time with the children. This, in my view, is shaping up to be a major catastrophe because I believe the role of a parent in giving direction, discipline, and encouragement cannot be replaced. I think we need to emphasize the need of intentional parenting in various forums, including churches, chamas, schools, and through strategic partnerships with community based organizations.

My parting shot to parents: It’s not what we leave FOR children that matters; it’s what we leave IN them that will stand the test of time.