Angélique Kidjo shares her touching parenting journey

Angélique Kidjo shares her touching parenting journey

What do you wish you'd know before you became a mother?   

Well, I wish I'd known that it never ends. That being a parent is a job you never retire from, until you die. Even when you're six feet under, it's still your job. But it's a good job.   

How did you juggle your busy professional life and your role as a parent?  

Well, my child, when she was born, ten days after that, I was in studio. I was lucky enough to find a really good babysitter that helped me till she turned four. Everywhere I took my child. She started walking in a hotel corridor in Stuttgart. She fell and she saw me and she started crying. I said, “No, it’s okay. Come.” We walked again.   

What do you find the hardest thing about being a parent?   

The hardest thing is to let them go. It’s the hardest thing. And you never stop worrying. Even till today. Even when she's with us and she is at a party, my sleep is not deep until she comes home. I can’t help it. From time to time, we look at the clock. She’s like, “Mom. I am safe.” She's really careful. But you never know.   

What do you do to recharge?  

To recharge, what I do is have my family around me. Family and friends. Cooking relaxes me a lot. You need to keep some normalcy in your life. And the only way I could do it is to cook and have my friends and my family come in and we laugh. I need that. I need it so much.   

Has singing played a role in your parenting journey?  

Well, singing lullaby to Naima, when she was little, she knew she was in a safe place. And that's what also comes to hand when you are on the field with UNICEF because lullaby is always linked with safety, security, warmth and love.  

And that is something that is the magic of human voice. I have to say.   

That is so beautiful.