This post is in response to @kenechukwu97 Thinkers Corner weekly prompt. As humans, there are times we feel the urge that we have known it all, a time we feel and say to ourselves I'm mature enough to make decisions for ourselves and taking advice becomes a thorn in the flesh. We are in a century where younger generations want to try things out on their own, telling them what to do is like depriving them of making their decisions and they might tag you as their enemy. Giving advice comes with applying wisdom, especially for the younger ones. What you advise them not to do will be the first thing they will do because they will be curious to know the reason behind you telling them not to do such a thing.
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"Don't tell me what to do", this sounds disrespectful I must say and in my culture, if you should say this to an elderly, you are a spoilt brat who doesn't have regard. It sounds harsh too because it hurts when you are trying to help someone by telling them what would have a positive impact on their lives and suddenly you are being told not to tell them what to do. One will feel embarrassed and in the end, if I happen to be such a person, I will leave him or her to dance to his or her music. I once had an experience while trying to correct one of my cousins on what she was doing which would later ruin her and she felt she was old enough to make decisions herself. This was the same statement she told me that year and that pissed me off I decided to leave her and watch how far she goes with it.
A cousin of mine got admitted into a higher institution at the very young age of 15, to her this was their biggest achievement and she began to work with girls of mature minds far older than she was. To her, she was learning from them but in the process of learning, it was gradually ruining her life. She changed her wardrobes to clothes her parents would never approve of and because they aren't computer literate, they don't get to see her posts on social media platforms. She began to go to clubs and drink alcohol, which is one thing I detest with passion, I called her attention to it which she saw as me poke nosing in her affairs.
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Before it got out of hand, I called her and made her see what she was doing wrong and when she would give a reply, she said "Don't tell me what to do, I am old enough to decide for myself". After hearing that, I couldn't control my laughter, I was laughing so hysterically because I was wondering "Old enough at 15 years of age". She didn't seem to understand what I was correcting her for and after several attempts to make her change her ways, it seemed abortive and I decided to let her be for a while.
After a few months, I decided to talk to her about it again and this time she paid no attention to me, making me feel like a disturbance in her life. After several messages were left unattended, I decided to call her with another number and she gave the same reply as before, it was then I thought it was high time I let her be. Then I said to myself "I need to stop telling her what to do" She said she was old enough, then let me allow her to pilot the plane of her life herself. At 17 she became pregnant and now she has a baby girl she is taking care of, becoming a mother at 17," Was that how you planned your life" I asked her the day she told me she was pregnant. "Since you are old enough, I guess you should know how you will take care of yourself and your baby, good luck sis" and I hung up the call. This was all I was warning her about but because she paid no yield, it landed her into a mess which I'm sure she is regretting.
Thanks for your time and your comments will be appreciated.