At birth, the human mind can be likened to a clean slate upon which nothing has been written.
My parents began to write, filling me with knowledge, ideas, traditions, cultures, expectations, etc. They are not the only ones who played a role in my upbringing, but they contributed immensely especially during my formative years.
I give my parents their flowers, they did a great job with me, it was not easy. I say this with all confidence because I know how difficult I was growing up and how much of a problem I would have been if not for their efforts.
Saying I learnt a lot from my parents would be for the lack of better choice of words.
One part of my upbringing that I really love and I say a prayer for my parents anytime I remember it is the inculcation of positive values.
Having observed the world we live in, I have seen them show the usefulness in countless instances.
Values such as honesty, diligence, accountability, discipline, etc which were instilled upon me by my parents from cradle find use in our day to day life and are foundational to many success stories. As a matter of fact, all successes I have had so far in life are because of either one or more of these values.
What makes it more impressive to me is that because they were inculcated early enough, they come with much ease and almost like a reflex.
Having known the benefits of having positive values both for the individual, the family and community at large, I would definitely want my children to inculcate these values
As much as my parents tried their best, they are humans and as such could not attain perfection. I don't even expect them or any parent to attain perfection in parenthood, the important thing is to keep doing your best and always try to improve.
The one area of my upbringing which I began to dislike as I grew up is limited associations.
While growing up, I was restricted from associating properly with peers. This was mostly as a result of the dangers of peer pressure.
This was not bad at the time, but it limited my ability to socialise with my peers and we all know the role friendships and connections can play in life. Sometimes "who you know" opens more doors than "what you know" and our growth is proportional to our ability to connect with others.
This becomes more evident in my life because daily, I realise that I need to consciously put in more effort in making friends and forming relationships, else I would be stagnant. This is because, I already have the inbuilt ability to be self sufficient.
Despite knowing that this ability is good, it limits my intentions to try to connect and while this ability can help you do a lot, it can't help you do all. You always need others.
And when the need finally arrives, there may be no one to call upon.
I would definitely caution my children on the dangers of peer pressure but I would allow them to make friends.
Inorder to limit these dangers of peer pressure, I would insist on having their friends come over to my house from time to time for play and other leisures while I ensure the friendship is a healthy one.
This would help me prevent any impending danger while also allowing my child have a proper and holistic childhood experience that would be the stepping stone to a fulfilling adulthood.
Images are mine