One thing I'm always grateful for is being blessed with my kind of parents, there are certain things in life we have no choice over and one of them is choosing the parent to be born by, we can make a choice of spouse, friends but being a child or parent of someone is something we have no control over, and to have them love and take care of us with all of their being is something we should be grateful for.

_{Image edited using canva}

No, I wasn't born with a silver spoon, and neither were my parent even close to the middle class at first, but they made sure we never lacked anything and taught me contentment and that has stayed with me till adulthood.
My dad would always say he would rather die a poor man than engage in any criminal activity to become rich, he always told us a story of how when he was much younger, some of his colleagues at work planned to steal from the company they worked with which was owned by a foreign investor, but my dad tried to dissuade them from the dubious act and excluded himself from their plan, thinking that they had heeded to his warning, instead, they went ahead with their plan and even set my dad up as the culprit, what saved him was because he was well-known as an honest person by everyone, so it was very difficult for their boss to believe he was the thief, even though all allegations pointed at him, their boss went ahead to hire an investigator who went to the root of the matter and discovered the real culprits and my dad was vindicated, not only was he vindicated, he was promoted as well with 100% salary increases, and the real criminals arrested and jailed.

That very story and my dad way of life helped in shaping my path, I've had instances where people tell me I'm too honest to be a Nigeria because they feel being too honest makes one feel like a fool, my dad would always tell me, no matter the names people call you for being honest, stay true to yourself and your honesty will take you to greater heights, and this is how most of my successes in life have been built on, no matter how enticing the loot of a dishonest dealing brings, I would rather live a modest and honest lifestyle than to get involved in any dishonest activity which will not only soil my name and upbringing but also steal my peace of mind.

Another trait that is also common with both my mum and dad is being "Hardworking, I've watched my parent grow and acquire all they have today, through years of hard work, having just girls as children, which most African men in the past don't regard the female gender, but to my dad, we are his pride, my mum would always say we were more than men to her, and being a woman doesn't give you the ticket to be lazy and dependent on a man all your life, the way most people think. I've watched her as I grow hustle and never gave up trying her hands on different types of business to be a supportive wife and caring mother, my mother is the last person who will go around begging like I do see some mothers do as a child, because she is never idle, she taught us what being an independent woman means, not by disrespecting your spouse but by being very supportive and also able to stand firm on your own without waiting on anyone for assistance, according to her, people tend to take advantage of someone, especially young ladies when they are always looking for someone to help them. Today, that teaching and trait we grew up watching has impacted me and my young ones today, even as ladies, we are very hardworking, and financially independent, rather than be a burden to our spouses we are instead a big bonus to them which further makes us to be more respected and treasured, not only by our spouse but their family members as well.

My parent believes that money may come and go, but a person's name remains a solitary treasure. These life lessons course through my veins to this day. I challenge decisions potentially compromising ethics in ways big or small because I know where that slippery slope leads. I avoid voluntarily choosing ease over honor because I understand short-term comfort doesn't make the sacrifices worthwhile.

Having watched how my parents overcame many challenges over the years through honesty and hard work, when I'm faced with a situation, I only need to ask myself, how would they act in this case, and it is easy for me to find clarity toward that path. Honesty and hard work remain simple concepts with incredible catalytic power in how I move through the world.

Thank you for reading.❤❤

_{This post is inspired by the Hive learners week 104, edition 1 topic and also fits in the #MarchInleo monthly topic about childhood memories, check out the announcement post to be a part.}

_{Second image is mine}