03/07/2025
IS TURNING 18 A BAD THING??
Like I always say, the minute you hit 18, you are no longer a child and never ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Eighteen is the legal age in Kenya and many countries around the world and that means that you are now old enough to be able to legally take responsibility for any and all actions that you engage in. What this means is that you can be sentenced to any period that a judge deems fit depending on the offence or offences you commit. Well, turning 18 is not all that bad as you might want to assume. In fact, it has many perks and it comes with a ton of freedoms.
For starters, the curfews that most parents often impose in most homes get to stop, or at least they get to be loosened a little bit. That means you can now stay out slightly late with your friends or even go back home the following morning if you are the bad type and your parents don't give two fs about it.
However, if you come from a military base and your parents are the chiefs of the armed forces in their self-proclaimed republic that you call home, then, well, I guess the age thing is just but a number, right? And by the way, this is usually the case in many African homes, mine included (when I was younger, I mean).
My point is, at this age, you become your own person legally and in many different areas of life. Whereas this is usually a chance for many people to go bad and grow overly unruly, I would like you to look at it in a different way. For instance, this is the age where you can make a decision about the kind of citizen you want to become. Do you want to be the next Nelson Mandela, Akon, Vusi Thembekwayo or do you want to be the loudest good-for-nothing villager with a huge drinking problem and zero contribution to the humble home you came from?
Eighteen my people, is the age where boys become men and girls become women. And what type of adult you become is the million-dollar question at this juncture in life. Ain't it? This is the time when simple habits become life-threatening addictions and virtues are either gained or lost. What you do with the freedom that comes with this magic number "18" is what informs the world of who you are or who have been all along. This is where people are defined because now you get to do things without too much supervision from the people around you, even your parents and yo know why? Because they trust that you will make the right decisions for yourself.
Your parents won't nag you as much as they used to when you go out with your friends because they trust you to do right by them and most importantly, by yourself. You no longer represent nothing because now you represent your parents and your entire home. What you do, boys and girls, reflects on your entire family several ancestors back. For instance, if you choose to smoke pot and someone spots you, do you know what they will say? First, they won't refer to you without including your parents' names. You will hear people say "Isn't this Chibole's son smoking pot? He was raised very badly" That means that the damage doesn't stop with you alone and your parents and entire generation takes a hit for your decisions. You act, but everybody suffers
Do you want to know what happens to you next?................. Tell me about it in the comments.
