Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: CHILDHOOD (03/09/17)
-
TITLE: Fond Memories | Previous Challenge Entry
By Robert Rutaagi
03/15/17 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
My polygamous father had sixteen children from four wives. I was the last child of my mother [my father’s senior wife] out of eight.
Growing up with adults has its own fan as well as challenges. I grew up with a strong independent minded personality. That denied me childhood fellowship with fellow children. Fellowship with adults instilled into me skills that other children acquire slowly but unsurely, perhaps because of fear. For me, I was loved generously, in fact, I was spoilt, but because of the vicissitudes of adult life, I was too independent of them. My step siblings who would have filled the gap were living distances apart.
Being the only child around, I found myself doing all the chores most of which I learnt to enjoy like looking after animals, collecting firewood and digging. Planting a young banana plant, seeing it grow, flower and mature into edible food was amazing. I will never forget when I was about five years, still learning my skills, I would plant beans and keep checking on them to verify how far they had gone in the germinating process which, sometimes, would be interrupted.
One day, Mary, my sister found me checking on my beans. She gave me a good lecture and that is when I stopped but my curiosity was not yet fully satisfied.
Another day, uncle Jeremiah, visited us. He gave me sweets which I had never seen or tasted before. They were so delicious that I quickly thought of a plan to multiply them. I went and planted two of them. After three days, I went to check on them. Nothing had happened! I decided to eat them.
My childhood was fun. I was so self-motivated that my mother loved me for that for which my elder siblings were always envious. My father who was mostly absent with the younger wives and their children, did not care much about me. One day, my mother needed firewood. I saw this dry tall tree near our house. I got a sharp panga, tied it around my neck with a banana fiber and climbed the tall tree whose branches I cut for fire wood. My mother was happy.
The following day my father visited. Sighting the tree naked, he was instantly enraged. He did not have to guess the suspect.
‘Who cut that dangerous tree branches? Don’t you realize that its roots are rotten and you could have easily fallen with it and died instantly?’ he thundered.
I feared to respond and, instead, looked down as I thought of what to say or do.
‘It was you, naughty boy!’ he thundered again, this time raising his walking stick he usually carried.
I took off with lightning speed and hid myself until he left.
As I grew up, over the years, into adulthood, my childhood independent mindedness, task-orientedness, adventurousness and self-motivation also grew up with me. Sometimes these qualities served me very well. Sometimes, they put me into real trouble. The true balance of my life came when I received salvation and the Holy Spirit baptism. I became a new creature and the old went away. 2 Cor. 5:17. Glory be to God.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
I had trouble at first knowing if you were female or male. Toward the end you did mention it.
You were definitely on topic and did quiet well. Keep writing and giving the glory to God!