Freedom

 

I think to different people "freedom" means different things. Despite the fact that my dad is a minister and my mum is the wife of a minister I wasn't really caged (as most people would say) growing up but I still grew up with strict morals and ethics which I also hold dear to my heart. 

I had a curfew but it was not official. I wasn't allowed to do some things and that made me not to misbehave when I got into the University but in some people's case it makes them go wild. A lot of people only get their freedom when they get into a university which kind of motivates them to pass their JAMB and WAEC (by all means necessary) and when choosing a school, they choose the one far away from home so that they can be "really free". 

For me freedom is not doing what I want or have to do, freedom is doing what I love to do and having support from friends and family doing it. If I decide to go off and do something I'm typically not allowed to do at home I always feel the need to tell someone and that feeling makes me feel like I'm not free, so I can safely say that's not freedom for me. 

When you first get into the University you start receiving advice from a lot of people, but the truth is that whatever mistake you make stays with you and the only way you can live with it is by making them on your own. Never allow people to make you make  mistakes, that's one of the worst feelings ever. Some run wild with their newly found freedom and that is why I think some parents need to change the way they raise their kids. Yes they are your children and you have every right to raise then the way you want but think about when they grow up, raise them not to resent you when they grow up.

Speaking as a teenager, a lot of pressure is put on us as not just a teenager but "African Teenagers" I'm not saying others Teenage years is so easy but I'm trying to speak from the perspective I'm familiar with. Some parents would see that their kids don't do so well in school but are have great talent, instead of nurturing their talents, they expect you to bury them because you can never be a positive influence in the society unless you go to school. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go to school but don't make your children suffer in the future when you make them bury their talent and focus on school and what if they graduate without a good result to get a decent job, then what? 

You as an individual should not let anyone make you bury your talent Even if they  your parent, I'm not saying you should disobey or go over their heads but try to explain to them make them listen to you(not in a rude way though) and let them know that theirs more to life than going through school. Some people don't get the opportunity to go to school but don't take it as a bad thing there's something better for them. I ask myself sometimes, what if every one in the world gets to go through school, how do you think the world would be? Our parents need to understand that the world is always evolving and how things happened back then is different from how things are happening right now and things won't be the same in years to come when we'll become parents and we will also need to evolve. 

Samuel