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There comes a time in parents' lives when children can drive you crazy! The age varies from one child to the other!

Greetings Steem fam, I hope we all are doing fantastic today!

I grew up in Douala in a very notorious neighborhood called New Bell. New Bell in the late 90s and early 2000s was EVERYTHING BAD. It was the wrongest place to raise a child. Atrocious acts like rape, killing, theft, domestic violence, and all kinds of immoral acts used to be the order of the day. You could wake up in the morning and find someone dead by your door, and it was just another Thursday. Thieves could break into your house three times a week, almost every week. My mother was almost raped before my very eyes when I was about 10 years old. There were times when I almost drove my mother crazy because of the kinds of friends I entertained and the kind of behavior I portrayed.

I became very notorious in my behavior. I would leave for school every day but would hardly make it to class. I had some Nigerian friends whose parents owned shops, and so they would steal money from their parents and bring it to school. When one of us was sent away for school fees, the rest of us would just follow, even if our parents had paid our tuition to the last dime. We would go swimming, cycling, and to lots of other places to spend the money these guys stole. These Nigerian friends of mine would buy bicycles but couldn't take them home because their parents would be suspicious of them. I owned the bicycles and sold them, but these guys couldn't say a thing because they feared I would report them to their parents for stealing. My behavior was getting out of control, and that's when my mother pulled the trick that changed my life for the better. My mother sent me to a Catholic boarding school in a very remote village in Noni Sub-Division, called Djottin, in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

I spent four years in this village, started going to church, praying, and learning, and that's how my life changed. I started doing things like a responsible son. Till this day when I go back to Douala and look at some of my childhood friends, the things they do, all I can say is thank God for my mother.

The reason why I am putting up this write-up is to tell every parent to be mindful about where their children grow up and to also let parents understand that there comes a time in the lives of most children when they act as if possessed by some demons. So when this time comes, parents should exercise patience and, rather than give up, should think about alternative ways to help these children do better. It's just a stage that will pass, but we must be cautious as parents because the decisions we make at this crucial time of our children's lives can either mar or make them better. I am currently raising my little brothers, and it's about that time. They are trying to run me out of my head. I advise, punish, beg, still advise, and educate, and it's like they aren't hearing a thing. But I know that someday it is all going to make sense because I used to be like them.

To all parents struggling with their children out there, and it seems like no formula is working, I wish you all the courage and patience you need to keep praying and doing your best to help them see the better picture. One day I promise you they will do better.

Until next time,

Cheers ✌️