I thought I had raised a genius. This boy used to say Daddy I want to be just like you I was always smiling with pride… until I saw his result
From the day my son, Junior, was born, I prayed he would grow up to be better than me smarter, taller, richer, and maybe with fewer grey hairs from stress. But one bright Saturday morning, while eating yam and egg, he looked at me with sparkling eyes and said, “Daddy, I want to be just like you!” I smiled with pride, puffed my chest, and said, “My boy!” Little did I know, that statement would almost send me to an early grave
Junior was in Primary 5, the class where children start forming their destiny. His school had just concluded exams and the results were out. Parents were told to come collect report cards. As a father who believed his son was a genius (mostly because he recited my phone number once without blinking), I wore my finest Ankara and marched to the school with confidence. I even bought gala and LaCasera for celebration.
When I got there, I noticed some parents crying tears of joy, others tears of pain. I chuckled. "Na small thing, Junior go make me proud today." Then the class teacher handed me his result. My smile vanished. My eyes danced around the page like a man looking for hope in Lagos traffic. Junior scored 2/100 in Mathematics, 4/100 in English, and the highest he got was 9/100 in Drawing because he drew Spider-Man without hands.
I looked up slowly and asked the teacher, “Is this another child’s result?” She said, “No sir, Junior said he wants to be like you always confident even when wrong.” I nearly collapsed. I dragged my son outside. “Junior, what is this? You failed proudly!” He looked at me with all sincerity and said, “Daddy, you always say real men don’t fear anything. I don’t fear failure
At that point, I didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh and give him a presidential award for boldness. “But Junior, I passed my exams as a child!” I screamed. He replied, “But you always tell mummy you failed math and still made it in life!” My mouth hung open like NEPA wire. Who sent me to be sharing childhood stories during dinner?
That evening, I sat in my room reflecting. Maybe I had been unknowingly setting the wrong example. I always joked about how school wasn’t my thing, and now my own son had taken it as a career path Professional Proud Failure. I knew I had to act fast before Junior started a motivational podcast titled “How to Fail Confidently
The next morning, I called a family meeting. I stood in front of my wife and son like a politician about to confess. Junior I said Yes, I struggled in school, but I realized too late that education is power. I don’t want you to repeat my mistakes He blinked So I shouldn’t be like you again?” My wife side-eyed me Be like the good part of me,” I replied. “Not the part that borrowed calculator in final exams
That week, I became a changed man. I started sitting with Junior during homework. I even downloaded educational apps and begged the neighbor’s smart daughter, Precious, to tutor him. Within a month, Junior started improving. His drawings now had fingers and ears, and he no longer called X a criminal in math. He said, “X is a variable and we must find him!” I wept that night
When the next result came, Junior scored 82 in English, 79 in Math, and 90 in Drawing this time he drew his teacher with both dignity and moustache. I hugged him like a soldier returning from battle. “You’ve made me proud, Junior!” He replied, “Now I want to be better than you, Daddy!” I danced like someone who got alert after praying for 21 days
From that day, I stopped joking about failure like it was a trophy. I realized children don’t just hear what we say they become what we say. Junior’s journey from proud failure to proud achiever became the best chapter in my fatherhood diary
LESSON
Your children are listening, even when you’re joking. If you glorify laziness or failure, they might wear it like a badge Always show them the value of growth, hard work, and bouncing back. And please, if they draw Spider-Man, ensure he has hands