Growing up, I thought my parents were just out to stress my life. I used to feel like they had special meetings just to decide what “punishment” to give me next. But now that I’m older, I realize that those so-called punishments were actually building blocks that shaped who I am today.
One of the things my parents did that I totally misunderstood was waking me up very early every Saturday morning to clean the whole house. And by “whole house,” I mean every single corner sweeping, mopping, washing the veranda, cleaning windows, and even scrubbing the bathroom tiles till they sparkled. Sometimes I hadn’t even properly opened my eyes when I would hear my mum’s loud voice from the kitchen:“Get up! Lazy people don’t eat in this house!”
Back then, it felt like torture. My friends were probably still snoring in their warm beds while I was sweating with a bucket and broom. There were times I cried while cleaning, wondering if I was born into the wrong family. 😂
But today, guess what? I can’t stay in a dirty place for five minutes. Cleanliness has become part of my lifestyle. That early training taught me responsibility, time management, and the importance of keeping my environment in order. Now when people visit my apartment and compliment how neat and organized everything is, I just smile because I know the training didn’t come easy.
Another thing that felt like punishment was being sent on endless errands. I could be in the middle of watching a favorite TV show, and my dad would send me to buy something three streets away. Even worse, they sometimes sent me back to the same place because I “forgot to collect change” or didn’t greet the seller properly. I didn’t understand why they couldn't just send someone else after all, I wasn’t the only child!
Now as an adult, I’m thankful for those errands. They taught me how to move around confidently, how to speak politely to people, and how to handle money and return balances correctly. All those little lessons came in handy when I started living on my own and handling my business.
Of course, not everything was serious. Some moments were funny too. Like the day I was punished for stealing meat from the pot only for my younger brother to confess later that he was the one who took it. We all laughed hard that day, even my mum. She cooked extra meat the next day just for me. It was one of those warm moments that made all the hard training worth it.
Looking back now, I realize that the things I once saw as wickedness were actually acts of love. My parents weren’t punishing me they were preparing me for the future. They knew the world wouldn’t be easy, and they didn’t want me to enter it unprepared.
So, to every parent or guardian who is training their child with discipline and love l, thank you. Your efforts may not be appreciated now, but one day, they will make sense. Just like they did for me.
Image is Ai generated
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