Lessons Learned from Childhood Missteps

Our childhood days are usually filled with loads of exciting memories that we look back on and smile at some of the things we did back then, while some are calm during their childhood days, and others are stubborn and find themselves moving from one issue to another. I personally see myself in between, as I'm not much of a troublemaker back then, but I had some experience that got me in trouble, which later on went on to be a life lesson for me, and in this article I'll be telling you about it.

During my junior secondary days, I used to be a calm, cool, and collected student who was only focused on his academics and not wanting to be distracted by the external factors around me, most likely because that's the song my parents usually sang to my ears on a daily basis, and so I tried to mind my business and not go against any school rules; however, things went south on one fateful day when I paid a visit to the second restroom of our school that I hadn't been using since I began that school.

It happened that when I arrived at the first restroom I usually use, it was all in use, and since I was so pressed, I decided to use the second one, even though it's said to be a den for the notorious students in our school. On getting there, I saw different students hanging around, including some of my classmates, but I went in to do my thing, and while I was inside, I overheard them talking about going out of the school through a broken part of the fence to go play PlayStation outside the school premises.

On hearing that I was intrigued by the possibility of me playing the game, and before I knew it, once I was done doing my thing inside the restroom, I joined them in leaving the school premises into the jungle to go play games somewhere during school hours. The idea of playing the game overwhelmed me to the point where I didn't even bother about school, and since it's my first time doing that, I don't know the drill or what I'm supposed to be on the lookout for.

Not long after we got to a main road and were walking towards the shop where the game is being played, I saw a police vehicle driving towards us, and before you know it, I saw the other students around me running away, but since I felt I didn't do anything wrong, I stood my ground, and lo and behold, the police parked their vehicle beside me and came down to drag me into their vehicles while I was there shouting, What did I do? What did I do? without them telling me anything.

I was still busy ranting and full of confidence about me not doing anything wrong until their vehicle pulled up in front of my school. Then I came to my senses and realized that I'd done something wrong. I mean, who'll even believe me that it's my first time doing that, and I haven't even gotten to where we're going? To cut the long story short, I was taken to the principal's office, where I was dealt with, and my parents called to be informed about my behavior.

That experience taught me that there are always consequences for breaking the rules, and regardless of if it's your first time or you've been a regular in it, you'll be treated the same way. It also taught me about the need to not let peer pressure push me into what I'm not supposed to do, because obviously the main reason I followed them out was so I could also boast to my friends that I've also played PS, since they usually talk about their gameplay experience, which makes me feel left out.

Because at the end of the day, I was the only one who ended up getting punished, I made it a point of duty never to let peer pressure push me to doing things that are wrong, and growing up, this has been my watchword that kept me going, because if not, I'm sure there are several things I would have delved into because my mate and friends are doing them.

All photos are mine.