RESPONSIBLE FUN

Adulthood is an accountability stage. This is what makes a lot of people wish they weren't adults. Before my 18th birthday, I used to think that when I turned 18 I would feel somehow… I mean I thought there were sensations one would feel that would make them know they are adults. But then my 18th birthday was just like any other day in my life, it wasn't special at all, and if I'm to be honest I was searching for that sensation and obviously found nothing. Some months later I realized something changed about me, actually, something changed with the way my parents looked at me. It was then I realized my first privilege as an adult was that no one would beat me for being me.

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As a child and teenager, I was often cautious with the way people saw me. Especially in the society I was in. There were things I couldn't do, not because they were bad bad… but because immediately I did them I could get scolded with a whip. For example, I couldn't go to a club to chill, I didn't want to even imagine what my dad would do to me, and I couldn't keep late nights because my dad would skin me alive. Little by little he stopped asking where I went, from there he stopped complaining when I came home late, and before I knew it I would go clubbing with the understanding that he was letting me be responsible for myself. Although he never knew I actually went clubbing 😂.

Although my mother on the other hand wouldn't care even if I was 50, she would still want to know everything, but this time she wouldn't ask authoritatively, but with respect. Later on in life, I get to enjoy this respect especially when I'm talking with those way older than I am bidding for contracts and defending proposals. I know my fun is a weird kind of fun, but these things give me chills in my spine, especially with the knowledge that these were the things I would envision and imagine as a child. I would wish my dad would take me along on those business trips, but wouldn't dare ask because I felt like a child. I've felt like a child for so long that I forget sometimes that I am an adult.

The other day I was coming from work and thought I would spoil myself a bit, so I called my sister and asked her to meet me at a fancy restaurant. I got a couple of things and left. I was right there reminiscing on the days it was my dad taking us out, oh yeah Kelvin, you are now an adult and you get to take yourself out. Although it comes at a cost, it's the freedom for me. I'm so free to do whatever I want although bearing in mind that freedom is a two-edged sword, and I will have to be careful of the side of freedom I choose to stay on.

ALL PICTURES ARE MINE

THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO HIVE GHANA PROMPT FOR THE WEEK.