I don't live in am estate, but the neighborhood is very okay and peaceful.
So my son came to me this morning to say that he wanted to ride his bicycle way beyond my street.
I noticed that he had a bruise on his knee, so I asked him:
"What happened to your knee?"
"Daddy, I fell while riding my bicycle."
I did not say "sorry" to him.
So I gave him permission to ride his bicycle beyond our street.
Then he said:
"Daddy, I want mommy to send me on errands, so I can ride my bicycle to the place."
I just smiled.
I want that boy to experience what it means to grow up as a man who will face difficult challenges, learn certain things by himself, and even get some injuries in the process.
When I was his age, I got different injuries as a young boy.
From blisters under my feet to knee scratches, toe injuries, and scratches on my face, I experienced them all.
I was even doing backflips.
One time, I did a backflip and landed on my forehead. That was when I started bleeding seriously. My father really suffered, and I still have that scar.
Back to the bicycle story.
I don't know if some of you can recall:
As kids, we used to have men who rented out bicycles.
20 kobo for 30 minutes.
30 kobo for 1 hour.
Those men didn't ask us where we lived.
They would just collect money, give you one bicycle, and off you go with it.
We would ride around the neighborhood.
Falling on the streets, racing at high speeds, etc.
Childhood was fun.
But one thing is unfortunate today: we don't have people who rent bicycles anymore.
Trust has been eroded over the years.
End.