AFC Bournemouth
Ahead of Sunday's clash with Norwich, Jefferson Lerma sat down to speak about his family and building stronger bonds with his daughter during lockdown.
In the second half of his pre-match conversation with afcb.co.uk, Lerma detailed his experiences during lockdown on the south coast, where he lives with his wife and his young daughter, Sharon.
How did you spend the lockdown, were you with your wife and your daughter?
Yes, I always tried to look on the bright side of the situation. Many families did not have the chance to spend enough time together but I had the chance to enjoy my family.
Due to the circumstances, we were not able to play football or to train, so I have enjoyed all this time with them.
You also have your wider family in Colombia, were you able to stay in touch with them throughout the situation?
Yes, I am in touch with them all the time, that's regardless of having a lockdown or not, I try to speak with them every day.
We haven’t been able to go there this year, unlike every other year but I think this is a challenge and we have to overcome it.
God will give me the chance to visit and enjoy my family in the future. Life has changed for everyone very quickly.
You have a positive attitude towards this, how was life at home with a toddler?
Well, I enjoyed being with my little girl as much as I could. We were playing all the time, I was bathing her, combing her hair, little things that I didn't get the chance to do so often before because of my work, with all the trips, you know.
I really appreciate waking up with her and my wife. Before I was waking up and coming to training straight away while my daughter was still sleeping. So through all this situation, we bonded and that’s a good thing that we can take from all this.
Your daughter is nearly two, isn’t she? I see what you're saying, sometimes, you can get home from work, see the kids for a couple of hours and then they are off to bed...
Yes, she is 20 months now. I am lucky because after training I still have time to spend with her, but it’s true that after spending so much time together I feel our bond has grown stronger.
Now my daughter has become very jealous - if my wife hugs me, she tries to pull her away from me! I think this bond is something that you earn by spending time with them, giving them love and sharing nice moments.
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How about her language skills, does she speak Spanish and English?
Well, she watches some cartoons in English and she already says English words, more than in Spanish.
We also want her to spend time with other children. She has a little friend and they meet very often, but obviously it’s not the same as meeting five or six children. Children are like sponges and they learn a lot from each other.
You must be looking forward to taking her to Colombia for her to see the family.
Yes, of course. I am always looking forward to go. I am also considering the possibility, depending on how the situation evolves, to maybe bringing some of my family here.
You have a strong connection with Spain as well...
Oh, Spain is like my second home. I spent three amazing years living there. I still have people very close to me living there, like my agent and many friends, every time we can we go there.
This summer we spent the holidays in Spain, we were in Mallorca and Valencia, which is a city that gave me a lot. I was lucky with the timing.
Your family must be so looking forward to seeing Sharon.
They haven’t seen her for over a year now and it’s not like with adults or teenagers that you have already created a bond.
These years when they are little are important and we want her to be close to her family. We are far away and once she grows, it won’t be the same.
She is growing up in Europe and here the familiar bond is not so strong, or that’s what I have felt. We have important dates that are for the parents and everything spins around the family.
At least we have video calls. although it can be hard to keep a two-year-old paying attention to the telephone for very long.
Yes, absolutely. They are children and sometimes are not in the mood for it. My mum calls and Sharon won’t look at the phone, or leaves the room.
On the other hand, sometimes she dances, talks to them or she does things to make them laugh. It would be great if they could spend time together soon.
With thanks to Alberto Navio for his help with translating the interview.
