If Your Parents Did This to You Would You be Happy?

 I’ll never forget what my parents did to me.

They called it love.

But is it?

What sort of love is it?

Maybe I should stop asking you questions and go straight to the point.

According to my mom…

 When I was way much younger, let’s say ten months or younger than that,

Something happened to me.

I don’t really know how old I was. I just know I was crawling at that point in my life.

And I was stubborn. 

According to my mother though.

Every time evening came and they lit up the lantern in the house back then,

I’d crawl towards the lantern to touch it.

My toddler mind didn’t know this lantern emitted heat that could burn my hands.

Perhaps that was why I never rested.

I always wanted to touch that lantern.

And anytime I was a step close to touching it, mummy or daddy would lift me immediately from the ground and warn me never to go there.

But did I understand their English?

I was a stubborn toddler.

Anyways, after several attempts to prevent me from touching the lantern, 

One day, daddy gave up on me.

And guess what he did.

He asked mummy to allow me touch the lantern so I could get whatever it was I was looking for.

And that was how little baby Vicky crawled happily to the lantern.

My mom said when I touched it, the first thing I did was to turn to look at her face and my dad’s.

And what followed was an outburst of tears.

Nobody stopped me from going to the lantern again.

Because I never went there after it burnt my hands.

I had learnt my lesson the hard way.

Now, what does that matter?

You see,

This is what happens when you don’t care about the ‘heat’ that comes when you don’t make a conscious effort to dress well.

And guess what.

Anytime you try to touch the lantern of negligence, I pull you back.

You go the first time, I pull you back with a style lesson.

You go the second time, I pull you again with another style lesson.

But you know, one day, I’ll let you do what you want.

And perhaps, by then you’ll realise that I never lied to you when I said fashion is too important to be ignored.

So why head towards the lantern of negligence when you can pay attention and dress the way you really want to be addressed?

Everything is going to be fine. But first, you have to dress like you believe it.

Money isn’t an excuse not to look good.

My friend and coursemate Praise is enough proof to this claim.

She has a style that can never be ignored.

All my coursemates know that she’s super stylish.

And when someone told her “Praise, e be like you be Madam cash o. See all the fine clothes wey you dey wear.”

She boldly told the person that most of her clothes are inexpensive.

I mean, Praise buys thrift clothes and rocks them like they are designers.

Because she knows that even though life comes with many problems, 

She would never bare them for the world to see by wearing clothes that look like her problems.

You too should do the same.

Stop thinking fashion is irrelevant.

Stop thinking you need loads of money to do fashion.

You only need the little you can spare and a personal style.

Problem no dey ever finish for this life na just packaging dey help us.

So choose wisely.

Will you dress like your problems or dress like your dreams?

Package yourself well by first developing your personal style and enhancing it always.

You think you don’t have a personal style?

Well, that’s not a problem.

I can help you figure it out how to find your personal style. 

Back to my parents…

They are right, you know.

If they hadn’t let me touch that lantern, I would never have learnt my lesson

Don’t wait until you touch that lantern.

Learn your style lesson now.

The Writer who knows how to do Fashion,

Victoria Willie

Creative Director, Ria Kosher