Now let me start with thank you all for loving my writings. The Kinyarwanda article that I shared a few days ago has become a real success, last time I checked, it had 312 views and had generated 15 new subscriptions. Thank you so much for reading, liking, sharing and commenting on it. If you have not read and would like to read it Click here to go and read the kinyarwanda article “Genda wake kandi wake cyane”
The story am about to share is a small part of the bigger article I wrote some months ago that I called FOR THE YOUNGSTARS “High School Notes” I share a parallel to parental love, the love children/teens/adolescents or just call them youngsters have for their parents. I also share practical ways on how to show affection to your parents. Feel free to check it out.
My high school story
During my high school days, there were moments when I stayed at school during holidays while my classmates went home for the school vacation. The first day of returning to school was always filled with joy, excitement, and an incredible sense of happiness.
You reunite with friends whom you haven’t seen in weeks, missed them truly, after all they are true friend, the kind of friends you’ve shared the ups and downs of school life together, confiding secrets and experiencing everything that high schoolers do. What made the return to school truly special was the opportunity to share stories about what happened during the holidays: the concerts attended, sibling fights, football matches & movies watched, and so much more.
One night, as my friends returned, I went to pick them up where the school buses were parked. I helped them carry their bags, and we walked together towards our dorms. We asked each other how we had been doing. I didn’t have much to say since I had been at school all along, with only a few other friends who also stayed behind during the holidays. However, I eagerly listened to their stories of what took place during the break. They told me about their love crushes & girl friends, The Ben’s, Meddy’s, Christ Brown’s and others artists’ new songs that were released, church events they attended, and the exciting football matches & movies they watched.
But what I loved most were the stories about their family life—their parents’ humorous jokes, the gifts they received, and how they were pampered during the holidays. The stories about their siblings, the fights, the laughter, and all those precious moments.
As my two friends continued sharing one holiday story after another about their family life, a wave of emotions washed over me. In their words, I witnessed the profound depths of parental love, an unwavering devotion that knows no bounds. The love our parents give us is incredibly selfless and sacrificial. The words we often we use as teens when we are deep in love, things like “I could take a bullet for you”, “I love you more than you can ever imagine” These sentiments perfectly capture the magnitude of the love our parents have for us.
Even when parents punish us, they feel pain too. They know that it’s not easy for us to be disciplined, but they also know that it’s necessary for us to grow. They call it discipline, and we perceive and call it punishment.
Funny enough, we grow older and become parents ourselves, we call it disciplining our children too. I guess we come to understand that love has to be tough sometimes. Tough love is necessary for us to become the best version of ourselves. Love must be firm and resilient to make us become responsible adults.
Am no longer a teen, but when I look back at those years……I can only say parents are the most patient people. They dedicate their lives to us without hesitation. We are their motivation, the reason they work hard and never give up. They endure the challenges of their jobs, even difficult bosses, because of us. Their sacrifices for us are immeasurable. Their boundless love and selflessness remind us that they are always there for us, no matter what.
This realization triggered a question in my mind: Do parents also yearn for love from us? Naturally, everyone wants to be loved, but do parents desire that love? This question inspired me to write this article.
Unmasking the Hidden Hunger: Parents’ Secret Craving for Their Youngster’s Love.
After this question had just popped up in my head, I explored my thoughts, searching through memories to see if there are any signs that parents crave love from their children. At first, a resounding voice in my head insisted, “No, they don’t need love; they simply require obedience.” I recalled the countless reminders from parents, neighbors, teachers, and even Sunday school instructors, stressing the importance of obedience. “Perhaps it’s our own stubbornness and rebelliousness that prompts them to keep using that word “obedience” until it becomes almost annoying to hear,” I pondered. How I despised being labeled as hard-headed or stubborn simply because I was a teenager. It irritated me to no end.
But then, a different set of memories flooded my mind—the expressions on parents’ faces when they first see their child’s drawing them, often the shapeless pictures of parents holding hands of the kid standing between them. The sheer joy that radiates when a baby smiles at them. The pure delight when a little boy eagerly rushes to greet his father returning from work and the father lifts him with goosebumps. In those moments, it becomes abundantly clear just how deeply parents yearn for love. And I am certain that this longing doesn’t go anywhere just because we have entered our teenage years.
That is the end of the story, if you would like to read more, consider reading the full article by clicking here to read “FOR THE YOUNGSTERS”
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This is me and my great friend Sadhou back in High School. It was around this time that I wrote my article FOR THE YOUNGSTARS for the first time.
