There comes a time in every young man’s life when his dad sits him down to talk about the birds and the bees. My dad was very open with my siblings and I. When I was 12 years old and my brother, 14 years old, I recall watching a movie together with our dad then a kissing scene came up.
As children, we knew better so we usually closed our eyes even though we looked through the gaps between our fingers. There and then our dad told us to stop pretending and just open our eyes.
The next words that came out of his mouth shocked my brother and I. “Sons, don’t date anyone you cannot marry”. “Why dad?” we asked. He responded, “Because if you get her pregnant you would need to marry her.” We continued watching our movie.
Fast-forward 13 years and those words still influence how I relate with females. In hindsight what my dad was trying to teach my brother and I was to have a sense of responsibility and honour. If while dating someone, she gets pregnant, I have to face the consequences of my actions. That my dad knew all along.
Image Credit: Brilliant Brush Gallery.
Written by Chukwuemeka Anayiam-Osigwe.