Meet my son. He’s a brilliant boy whose intelligence is sometimes underestimated by those around him, myself inclusive. He’s just 6 years old. Meet my son, Angel Michael.

Michael showed early interest in my woodwork adventure and is currently the youngest part-time employee at Rezuna Crafts Africa. He follows me for many of the deliveries I do and is always ready to ask questions that will make the people that write JAMB questions look like jokers.

And so while I was on a delivery voyage sometime last month to a client in Lekki who ordered a table, Michael popped a question that made me realise his memory bank is larger than I thought.

“Why are you using 3 legs instead of 4 legs? I thought you said if the table diameter is larger than 24 inches, it is better to use 4 legs,” he asked with a facial expression that showed he was confused.

I looked at him for like 4 seconds trying to figure out the right answer to give him. First of all, I tried to remember when I told him that certain table sizes require certain number of metal stands in order to be well balanced. After a few seconds of brooding, I realised it was a fact I had shared with him more than 3 months earlier. I had forgotten I told him. Now he was by my side to remind me. It was almost looking like the student who hasn’t graduated yet from woodworking school now teaching the teacher.

I looked at him and told him he was right. I explained that a lot was on my mind and that I had forgotten about that particular important information. I thanked him for reminding me and ended up completing the installation of the table.

“That man did not even give us money like that other man that gave us money the other day,” he suddenly muttered while we were driving home. He reminded me of a delivery we both made to a celebrity’s house sometime in April. The celebrity was so intrigued that I took my son with me for my deliveries and gave him some cash and a pack of chocolate. Imagine Angel Michael’s surprise when subsequent clients did not give him money. He assumed they forgot to give him money or that I forgot to ask.

I told him that it isn’t every client that gives bonus gifts when we deliver to their houses. I told him not to expect every client to be generous with cash gifts. I told him what matters is that we do our part of the deal and that that particular client had already transferred payment to our account.

His next statement made me smile: “Can we branch that eating place and buy rice and chicken or just meat pie?’

I had taught him the importance of celebrating little victories and not waiting for a big win before one celebrates. For previous deliveries, each time we leave the clients’ homes and head to our home, I’ll branch a particular eatery and get something for both of us to celebrate the good job we just did.

I share all this with you to remind you that our children are watching us. And in watching us, they end up giving us reminders of the things we’ve taught them in times past. Beyond what we tell them to do, they watch what we do. Here’s just a friendly reminder for us to be very intentional with parenting in this age. And by friendly reminder, I’m sending this reminder particularly to the man called Seun Akisanmi (& anyone who feels they can do better). Dear Seun Akisanmi, Angel Michael is watching you, so be conscious of the things you do even when you think he’s not watching you.

#seunakisanmi
#iWRITEiSPEAKiINSPIRE