Are you my son? (Flash Back)

As Sam and I conversed, Mich eagerly awaited a chance to slot in a word. His dad was still in mid-sentence when out of frustration Mich said “But daddy, you don’t have to use all your words at once” He had our full attention. He is six years old.

Anyway, this is the 2^nd week of primary one and the adjustment process is uphill. Our regular morning wars to get out of bed:- Mich cries about his dream being cut short or how he is still tired, and now we add the concept of a helper to the equation. I have mopped the floors, burned my dress in the kitchen and made sure he washed behind his ears, so he doesn’t understand why someone else should do these chores for me, (apparently, I'd made good grades). He views the helper as an intruder and always tells on her or gives the instructions. I over heard commands like “Apolot, you need to wash my clothes”, “Apolot! ... Apolot! That is not the way they clean the bathroom”. All over a sudden he is extremely authoritative. He insists on bathing himself and isn’t comfortable with people seeing him naked. I’m happy with his zest to bathe but half the time he comes out dry with dirty feet. I hold off fights because “Apolot is not listening to me”. I don’t know where the bad blood is coming from.

He prayed his teachers would learn to tell time well because they ask the kids to get back to class before they are done playing and this was the most crucial activity of the day.

One other time I went to pick him up but he wasn’t with the rest, he was in class reading a book - that didn’t sit right. I found out in an attempt to cart wheel one of the girls laughed at him. Without hesitation and steaming like a hot potato, he punched her in the stomach and refused to apologize, so he was sent back to class. I was upset. When did all this violence begin? He has never so much as pushed anyone. I thought I was raising a boy who discussed issues and certainly not with the fist.

You would assume that all the time we’ve spent together would give off some good dividends, that there would be a marked difference between him and the other kids because he is being raised by his mom (who constantly labors to bring the best out of him). It’s an extreme embarrassment when ugly traits rear their heads at the least expected moments; right in public where everyone turns to see who is responsible for this lad. It’s hard to convince anyone that he was taught otherwise but it certainly makes me wonder what’s going to pop up next. I think I have sorted out an issue and then it resurfaces in a new form.

Parenting is never straight forward and like someone said, children come into this world to teach the adults - so much truth.