(Left) Dr John Shupao with his 3-year-old daughter. (Right) Vikiyeto Noel Jimomi with his family presenting a song in church.
Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | June 15
“The best thing about fatherhood is witnessing your children grow and develop unique characters every day, especially during their infant years,” expressed Dr. John Shupao, father of two young children aged 3 and 10 months
For him, the experience of fatherhood is ‘very exciting,’ with the bond they build along the way being ‘very fulfilling,’ despite its challenges.
Speaking to The Morung Express ahead of Father’s Day, observed annually on the third Sunday of June, he highlighted the difficulties of balancing work responsibilities as District Epidemiologist in Tuensang, while his family resides in Kohima.
“As a working man, particularly in a very remote area of the state while my family lives in Kohima, it’s not easy,” articulated Dr Shupao, who has been posted in Tuensang for last 11 years.
“As my children are still very young, they needed a lot of attention, which I couldn’t always provide when away. During my time out of station, I often feel sorry and miss out on many things,” he expressed.
When children are very young, he noted, “we see changes in their everyday milestones, which I regret missing.” Nonetheless, he ensures his presence in his children’s lives as much as possible.
Talking about his own father, Salonyi Shupao, whom he described as ‘patient and very humble,’ Dr Shupao shared, “when I was young, I never saw him angry.
“And regardless of what we do, I know that my father is very proud of what we, his children, have become, and these are qualities that I admire and try to emulate,” he added.
‘Nothing is more fulfilling than seeing your children doing well’
For Vikiyeto Noel Jimomi, Senior Accounts Assistant at Medical College, Kohima, “it’s really a blessing to be a father, and nothing is more fulfilling than seeing your children doing well.”
He has three children: a son aged 17 and two daughters aged 14 and 10 respectively.
“I feel very proud of myself because despite being very busy, I never fail to make time for them,” he declared, emphasising their family’s commitment to raising their kids to love the Lord. “We have been praying together as a family all these years.”
One thing they ensure is not missing church on Sundays. If they miss the morning service, the children ensure they attend the evening service, and the family sings together in church.
Recalling the years when they were infants, Jimomi said they were all born by caesarean, and he acknowledged that the mother suffered a lot. Despite this, he has tried his best to ease her load.
“Quite surprisingly, the children always insisted that I make milk for them at night,” he reminisced. Underscoring that parenting is a shared responsibility, he added, “I have been fully involved in all their stages of growing up and am on school duty, especially in the mornings.”
Being involved, he opined, “develops a special attachment, and I think we have done quite well together. The kids are grateful that I am around.”
While children in the past were taught lessons with ‘heavy punishment,’ he pointed out that “those things don't seem applicable for this generation, where sometimes we have to give them gadgets out of compulsion, making it difficult for them to balance their time for household chores or academics.”
“The matter of discipline is quite a challenge, as is trying to build a rapport with them and help them utilize their time properly,” he added.
As for his own father, Jimomi said he deeply admires his “spiritual tenacity” and ‘his love for the Bible.’ His 76-year-old father, Rev Dr Yehevi Jimo, is a Senior Pastor at Thahekhu Baptist Church and a Bible Translator.
“My father always has this strong belief that God will always be there to bring a solution, and every time I come across situations that I feel are impossible, I remember that God is there because of what he taught me,” he highlighted.
Another thing he articulated is his father’s patience, whether with his children, family, church, or society. These are values of his father that he also tries to emulate and pass on to his children as he raises them.
