Veteran Nollywood star, Norbert Young and his wife, Gloria, have shared their journey through seven years of childlessness, revealing how the experience affected them individually and as a couple.
In an interview with Tope on Love Notes which with Tope which started trending on Sunday, the couple reflected on the emotional weight of that period, with Gloria expressing how deeply it affected her, while Norbert maintained that he never saw it as a challenge.
When asked about difficulties in their marriage, Norbert initially struggled to pinpoint one.
But Gloria quickly reminded him, saying, “I was childless for seven years, Norbert.”
Norbert, however, insisted that he never viewed it as a challenge, explaining his perspective, “I didn’t see it as a challenge, you see, because I kept telling her, ‘What are you worried about? What is it? Be calming down.’
“How can I see it as a challenge? I had a sister who was married for 16 years without a child, and on the 17th year, she had a child.
“Her husband never told her to leave. That child today is a medical doctor—a big man too. So what’s the big deal? It didn’t threaten our union at all.”
Despite his confidence, Gloria admitted she felt the pressure saying, “He never did. But I was the one feeling it, and I was the one seeing things. And he was the one telling me, ‘What is it? Stop worrying about such things.’”
Norbert acknowledged her anxiety, saying, “She was anxious about it—being childless for that long. Like I said, it wasn’t a challenge for me, but it was for her. As a couple, it was challenging, but personally, I didn’t see it that way.”
Gloria then brought up societal pressure, asking Norbert if anyone had ever questioned him about their lack of children.
His response was firm: “Them born you well come ask me that? Nobody in my family asked me.”
Gloria, however, had a different experience.
She recalled how, at family gatherings, she would often be subjected to silence but pointed stares from relatives.
She said, “Nobody in his family did. But I would go to my own family gatherings, and not asking per se, but imagine you’re walking into the room, and one aunty looks at you—makes sure that you know she’s looking at you—then her eyes go down to your stomach.
“And as you walk away, her eyes are still there. What is she telling you? Like, ‘How far na? E don tey oh! E don pass one, two, three…’ Without saying a word. Oh, I had those kind of aunties.”
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