Rose-Mary Haufiku
For several years, I have failed to understand why our parents and guardians compare us to other children. Well, as I have been growing up, I began to understand the logic behind the whole comparison story. Most parents and guardians think that by comparing, they are motivating. Maybe it does work for some children but the reality is, it does not motivate most of us, at all.
Most parents like using this phrase: “Other kids are passing while you are just failing”. The truth is; we are not all the same! I know how unpleasant this may sound, but sometimes in life, we have to face the reality.
At this point, I agree with those who say school is not for everyone.
It is true, not everyone is smart. I am not saying there are some below-average children out there; what I am trying to prove here is that not every child is meant to pass all their grades, go through university and eventually start working. Some children might not be bookworms. Instead, they might be geniuses in technical-related fields.
This is what, in my opinion, most parents fail to understand. They want their children to study what the children from house A are studying.
They all want us to do what they want, instead of letting us choose our own careers. This is what leads to many children failing and ending up as dropouts, which again results in their parents comparing them to others instead of motivating them.
Parents and guardians need to understand that comparing us to other children is discouraging. What if we were to compare them to other parents? I am cognizant that parents ought to be our guardians since they are older than us and obviously wiser than us, but that does not mean children do not have the right to decide and make their own decisions.
Sometimes the decisions parents make for their children might not be as wise as they imagine. It would be wiser if parents and guardians establish a platform that would allow their children to narrate to them about what they are best at.
In my view, this platform might help some parents understand their children and motivate them, instead of comparing them to other children.
To all the children out there, I would like you all to know that you are capable of anything. Never underestimate yourself; you are capable of doing the most impossible things in this world. So, my central idea is that no matter what people think of whatever decision you make, whether you decide that you are going to drop out of school and start a business or do volunteer work, if it makes you complete your vision, go for it.
Stand up for your life and do what is best for you. Stop relying on what does not motivate you and start focusing on you. Do not let anyone make you think of yourself as a loser.
Make wiser decisions and prove them wrong. Show them what you are capable of. Be unstoppable!