Do we ever outgrow our parents?

Being a Bachelor (Ep22)

As I write this, I’m in my father’s house in the faraway land of Abuja. It’s quite cold here, so, I take warmth under this flowery cover cloth till it’s mid-day. This has been my ritual in the past one week since I visited.

How my Dad would react when he hears I want to loc my hair.

Intermittently, either of my parents will want to alter this process, “Oboy, come and do this, come and do that” but this morning, I entirely became deaf to my name and the request. This time, I was busy with something else and it was only a necessary excuse to skip the next house chore.

Now, here’s the thing, before I visited I had a shoulder pad on me, I would bet that my parents wouldn’t mention certain things to me or send me on some type of errands. Not because I’m proud, but fam, I’m a big boy now — full beards plus, I can freely talk to a girl now without a slap. Also, the knowledge that I necessarily don’t need their money to survive was part of that “pride.” So, my plan for going home was just to sleep, sleep and sleep some more.

Alas, something else was waiting for me. Of course, on my first day of the visit, I was a superstar, not even a request like “please pass the remote” was made until everything started to fade a couple of days after. Well, at this point I must establish there isn’t so much work to do in this house, it’s just the demands and certain expectations. For example, My Dad asked me to come to church compulsorily with writing materials 😏, and reading bible on your phone in church is not allowed. Or when my mum said, if I was at home on Christmas day, I would be the one visiting her friends with trays of food. Anyway, my answer for that one was simple. For every house I visit, the family must transfer some money to me; you don’t expect a full-bearded man to collect 50naira.

The holiday further proves that you can’t be bigger than your parents, they’ll still put that time leash on you whenever you visit. Imagine my folks still calling me intermittently when I go out. Fam, I stay out longer when I’m not in your house.

Well, I know it’s because they care. I can hear the love in their tone, but really you need to also be comfortable with the fact that, I can take care of myself too. At least, let my time of visitation be an evaluation period. Do not take me back to feeling like a 10years old.

Anyway, thanks for the free food. They came in really handy.

Happy New Year!

Aseyori