There was a time when I checked my results and I thought I
performed like, excellently well. So I showed my father the result. What did he
tell me? “Don’t be complacent”. I was expecting praise or something, but I got
a lecture on complacency and the way it affects people’s work. Parents.
Its funny really, I don’t think a Nigerian parent can
actually ever be satisfied when it comes to academic work. Honestly no matter
how well you do there is always something they point out that needs
improvement. I’ll give instances:
Say you get an average of 94(which is a super high average)
, but come third, they become curious as to the number of heads those that came
second and first have. Or they query you on the level on how different they
are, or how much better they are than you. (Like I’m supposed to know that).
Or if you do come first, but with an average of say, 88
(still high), they will begin to question you on the whereabouts of the
remaining `12 marks. “You came first yes, but look at your average, what happened
to the remaining marks?” As if they were misplaced and I could just find them
under my bed or in the cupboard.
They act as if all the blood, sweat and tears put into
attaining those results is beans. These people that will claim to have gotten
and I quote ‘A parallel’, but when faced with a simple arithmetic equation will
start making excuses. And oh my gosh, the kind of threats you receive
concerning your performance in school, you know it’s either good results or
your life.
I never really understood this as a child, but now I do. As
parents, they feel the need to push you to aim higher and to not just be
comfortable where you are. Even though it seems like they are giving little
recognition to our achievements, we all know once they are in the midst of
friends it all they want to talk about. They will use our success as stories in
a bid to outdo each other’s boasts.
I know I’m not the only one that can relate to this, it’s
like a major tribulation faced as a kid under a Nigerian roof. Now I don’t mean
this as a slam to parents, at all. In fact I think its good motivation (no
matter how annoying it can be).
So there you go, that’s how I feel about parents and
results.
lol.. like every Nigerian parent does this but the intensity of the "after-results" lectures reduce as you are growing older... It would get to a point when it'll be assumed that you are on your own.
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