Values

“Values! What values? “These were the exact words and expression I gave to my aunt that has been reading my blog over the past three months. There’s an old saying that goes; “if yuh don’t know, don’t assume”. Excuse my langue, but there is also one that says “assumption is the mother of all fock ups”. That’s what my aunt literally did herself, correct me if I am wrong, but throughout my blogs, I have been stating scenarios about my relationship with my dad, the negatives, positives and the mistakes I do not intend to repeat.

I really appreciate when people gives feedback on my posts, it is clear that it was read and sometimes well received. The biggest mistake a human could make is assume, it is better to assume the position of not know, than assume you do. I however like the position that my aunt assumed, in her defense she has every right to. She does not live Trinidad and saw me at least twice in her life. Her statement of “you should at least talk about the values he instilled in you” was well received; this is a hefty topic in the development of any child’s life.

 For research purposes I decided to look up the meaning of values so I won’t do my dad “injustice” as she stated. (Values - principles or standards of behavior; one's judgement of what is important in life). I tried really hard to find some values that he instilled in me, had she said “values you learnt because of him” would have made it much easier. The truth of the matter is that he never really instilled any values in me. Please don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I never use to see him, he just however was never a part of my life to get the opportunity to firmly establish an idea or attitude in my mind. Thinking of it now here are some values I learnt because of him:

1.      Never show one child you love him or her more than the other

2.      Showing up for your child’s birthday is better than sending a gift

3.      Respecting your child’s mother earns you extra points

4.      Your word makes you credible

5.      If you’re going to act like a man, think like one

There is always a lesson to be learnt in every situation, and to this particular one I thank my aunt. Had it not been for her, I would not have been able to flesh out these points, this class would have ended and like before my thoughts of my “father” would have gone back to the basement of my head. This particular blog meant a lot to me, I've

been so busy fleshing out childhood scenarios, while neglecting the outcome of them. To fathers out there, try to instilled some values in the life of your child, because, though a child needs a father, so too does an adult.