That one embarrassing moment: African parents will put you in trouble.

Hello, everyone.

I welcome you to my blog. We all have moments in our lives we wish we could forget, moments we wish never happened, maybe because of how bad and hurtful it was or because of how embarrassing the moment was for us. Since we cannot make such moments go away, we continue to live with the pain, and each time we remember the moment and how it unfolded, we get mood swings. Sometimes it makes us sad, and we wish we could turn the hands of time to that moment and somehow stop it from happening.

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While growing up, I was quite a bright boy, loved by all my teachers and even my extended family. I kind of hated the fame that came with being intelligent, but at the same time, I loved that sometimes it saved you and sometimes it put you in trouble. Every parent loves when their kids make them happy, and mine was not an exception. They are always seated in front during every graduation ceremony because they know I will definitely be called up for an award or even two, and they will try to let everyone notice them.

That feeling alone makes me happy. On the night of every graduation day, I get to enjoy being pampered. They spoil me, especially my dad, who keeps encouraging you to do more. Who wouldn't want to do more so they get more toys and snacks? My parents are very strict, but we get to enjoy freedom for about two weeks after graduation. You will hear my dad say, "Go and play; all work without play will make you dull." After that, we go back to being like cats and dogs, but he still loves you deep down. Then I hated how strict he was, but now I understand that it was for our own good.

My dad never stops to brag; he talks about me everywhere he goes, and that is how he landed me in trouble. I was in primary 4 and he had a friend who owns a school. The friend told my dad he registered his school for a spelling competition but is finding it difficult to get students he can really rely on from his school; he wanted to get students from other schools and add to the few he was able to pick from his school. He needed his school to win the competition since the prize at stake was huge and he could use it to upgrade and renovate his school.

The funny thing is that my dad had this conversation with him but never told me about it. One Wednesday morning, I was about to leave for school, and my dad stopped me, gave me a different uniform to put on, and said I should wait. Someone was going to come and pick me up. My dad convinced his friend to take me, saying that I wouldn't disappoint. Without prior practice or preparation, I got to know what was happening on the deal day. I knew how to spell a few words, but a little practice would have been helpful, but I got none.

They took me by surprise, and boom, I was on stage with nine other kids. Each kid had to spell 10 words correctly to proceed to the next round. I failed myself, my dad's friend, and my dad at the final round when I was asked to spell psychology, and I started my spelling with an S. I never knew psychology had a P in it until that day. I felt really embarrassed in front of the crowd, which consists of some parents and kids from different schools. I stepped down from the stage with my legs wobbling, and though I was not prepared, I still wanted to bring the price home.

Thanks for reading my post.