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Latwell Nyangu Youth Interactive Writer
They may not ask or confront you but just know, they are aware of your shenanigans.
We might be clever or learned enough to mislead them but our parents are not that dull.
Beginning life at college naturally generates both excitement and anxiety for many reasons including the move, academic responsibilities, and meeting new people.
For some, this apprehension is quickly overcome as they adapt to the new environment.
For others the transition takes longer and sometimes emerges with home-focused thoughts.
Those who experience homesickness might notice an increase in depressed feelings, anxiety, obsessive thoughts and minor physical ailments.
Some students will start by being mildly depressed and anxious several weeks before leaving home, in anticipation of the impending change.
Others will be fine initially, and then to their surprise find themselves feeling out of place later in the academic year, perhaps after the semester break, or even at the start of their second academic year.
This week’s issue exposes some of the things we do as students purporting to be honest yet not.
Being at college demands a lot, not only our commitments but resources and monetary wise.
If you are poor at college, you can be depressed while being rich also comes with a lot of mischief since you will have resources to do whatever your heart desires at any time anywhere.
But one thing that we do, is to hoodwink our parents into paying more than we should be asking for.
As students we inflate some figures so that our parents add more money to cover some of our extra activities.
Juggling academic work, relationships, and other extracurricular activities is extremely difficult. Many students try to cram all of these activities into one day and do not get enough sleep.
Without proper rest, students are vulnerable to physical and mental health problems.
A few days ago, I was in a private car where I was listening to a conversation between two parents.
They were sharing how their college going children behave and how they demand money from them.
Interestingly both confirmed that, they discovered that they have been duped in some instances.
One said her daughter advised her to send money on a number which she said was from the college’s accounts office.
She was suspicious but she had to send since it was a case of emergency, she was also coerced to talk to the accountant whom she also suspected to be a culprit. She never bothered to probe the issue.
The other one said, her son has always been asking for additional money for books and some trips.
At the end, both agreed that some of the demands are not transparent and they are not bothered since they understand the situation outside home.
They laughed.
Student debt can become a huge problem for many students and there are ways to relieve such stress. It is not fair to consistently inflate figures for issues which are not serious for our parents.
Male students are always in ‘situations’, madhiri, zvipande and such a lifestyle has prompted them to even demand more from their parents or guardians.
Our parents are cleverer than us, they know it, they have seen it, so don’t act as if they do not know anything.
Each time you tell them you want money for books needed at school they know you are lying.
Every time you request for top up fees, just know they are very aware that you want to crook them.
The moment you try to request for trip money, they know it’s a lie or genuine.
Every parent doesn’t want to let the burden of financial debt or academic performance stand in the way of their child’s happiness during college.
That’s why they give you money without probing but they know kuti apa tavharwa.
Our parents also pay close attention to noticeable changes in their activities, social behaviour, and academic interests.
It is normal for every student to take something which excites his or her interest.
This should not be regarded as a stage but let the actions be of honesty and fairness.
Our parents go deeper to look for monies to use for our academic pursuit but let’s not dupe them in a way that will leave them in quandary.
Some students use the money for better interests while some use it for wrong reasons.
While I was still in the same car, the parents engaged in another conversation on what they know about us as students.
The one said, my daughter was asking for money to buy some clothes but I never saw the clothes at home.
I am sure these clothes are put on at college.
And the one responded saying, even her daughter doesn’t put some revealing clothes at home but she saw her status in which she was wearing some revealing ones.
Interestingly, they got deep to any extent that they shared a lot about how we behave at home and away from home that some of us change clothes as we leave our residence.
While away we put on what suits us better and when we return home, we dress like well-behaved children.
This is us and we are the students. Of everything you wear, your expression is of most importance, but don’t think our parents are in darkness.
Parents are also our role models. If you come home with anything, they should know and even probe you.
Give them answers since they are your parents.
We remain students and that’s who we are despite changes in generations.
But we ought to save our parents from the burden, inflate figures but do not go for a kill.
Many parents have resorted to demanding receipts after paying fees and anything at college.
Some even pay on their own as a way to avoid being duped by their own children.
When a parent reaches such extremes then know that your shenanigans have been exposed.
Believe it or not, students will always be students.
There are so many characters in a student and some are adopted at college where we meet different characters, some of which end up influencing us in bad ways.
Several times, I have heard parents crying foul over their children who would have changed characters while at college.
Let’s not kill our parents by duping them of the little they have.
Don’t assume they don’t know anything; they know better than us.
In other words, I have tipped you, your shenanigans are known!
Online Reporter