by Emmanuel Ikechukwu

Created on: October 19, 2009   Last Updated: October 28, 2009

This is the question on the lips of many teenage boys today and many much more matured boys also in some cases. The question, when will my dad treat me like a grown up? At one part of my life, I also had a cause to ask this question. I talked to my friends about this issue, I mean, I was feeling caged up, I couldn't make self decisions on my own, things my friends normally would do easily didn't pertain to me. I felt over pampered.

I though am a growing boy, I mean I was above sixteen at that time and I felt I should have the key to my life sought of and I need no body to be pushing me about. I mean take trips like I want, come back at any time of the day, make self decisions without any interference, wear what I want, in conclusion, live life as I want it, but it was pretty difficult for me considering the fact that my father was a very tough man. He really was a strong and tough and so you cannot stand him.

When he is mean, he is mean and when he is unhappy, everybody in the house is unhappy. That is the type of father I had then and still have now. To battle this, I decided to stay off him, I never wanted to be near him because when I remember the way he holds me, I get angry immediately and what irritates me most was whenever I made some contributions in the house that I think is fair, he turns it down. I knew he loved me and he does not hate me one bit but I thought he went too far. He was so strict and I can't stand that so the best thing I did was to always stay away from home. I did programs that are far away from home, so I had to live within the premises of my programs. Whenever I came home, I stayed in my room, sometimes from morning till night doing everything I have to do in my room. My mother was worried but I wanted to be happy.

My sister had it easy with him but she always has problems with him and during those periods, I go into my room and have a good laugh. My sister was the opposite of me, she was so open and she tells everything, I mean everything and she does not know when to stop and so when she says what she did that was not right or generally when she falls prey of her own cause, then the fire begins. Shouting and everything that relates to shouting, the house is heated up and then after a while everything goes back to normal. But she never learns from that. It goes on and on. I lived that way maintaining a low profile at home until gradually, I was having opportunity to talk to my dad and get listened to because I always talked with him before but my problem was that I never got listened to.

Gradually I was having the time I needed and that was when my age was dawning on me. I got that freedom but at the right time and I think I felt good that it came at the right time. Am now grown-up and I can do whatever I want to do and am still on the right track. Sometimes I ask myself, what if I was given all those freedom like I don't have a father, what would have become my fate today. I learned some things during those periods which I think will also be transferred to my son though I will never be as strict as my dad. One day, everybody will definitely be grown up, but let us all wait for the time to come. Find a way, talk to your dad and you may be surprised that he will give you a good answer to your worries.

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