“It is not the situation which makes the man, but the man who makes the situation “-Fredrick William Robertson.
Dear Mother,
I love you so much for always being there for me.
but there are some things that have always bothered me, And now as an adult I just want to understand.
I have always wondered why I never strived to do much with my life.
My childhood friends prospered.
My school mates are holding Government positions
And some are running successful businesses.
Mother,
Why were you always telling me I would amount to nothing?
Why were you always telling me how stupid I was?
Why was I always on the wrong side?
Why were you calling me names?
I grew up knowing I was very stupid and I would amount to nothing. Because that is what you always told me.
At six years old
You left me to take care of my siblings.
At ten years old
I would cook for my siblings
I would wash my siblings cloths
I never had time to play like the other children.
I never had time to do my homework but I didn’t care after all I was stupid.
Mother, I thank you for teaching me how to be responsible very early.
But the name calling stuck with me.
I believed I was very stupid and this affected my class work.
I believed I would amount to nothing because you were always reminding me.
When I reached my teenage years,
I thought it best that the only option was to quit school.
I thought our life was similar to everybody else.
I had nobody to advise me otherwise.
I had nobody to encourage me.
I was left to decide on my own.
After all I was stupid and would amount to nothing
I stopped going to school.
My father was never there.
My father did not have time for us.
My father would leave very early in the morning and come back at night tired.
After all I was stupid and would amount to nothing
I used to have friends that I used to hang around with.
We would talk about nothing of value.
We were complaining all the time.
We would talk about politics.
We would talk about girls.
After all I was stupid and would amount to nothing
My friends advised me that there were other ways of making easy money.
My friends told me I did not need brains to be able to ride a motor bike.
My friends told me that going to school was a waste of time.
My friends encouraged me that I would still make money.
My friends had also stopped going to school.
After all, I was stupid and would amount to nothing.
I just wanted to tell you that the labels you gave me when I was growing up became me.
After all, I was stupid and would amount to nothing.
Is it too late to start again?