Miss Understood

"Pity the Child" - Oil
by Annemie Odendaal

Pity the child who has ambition, Knows what he wants to do
Knows that he'll never fit the system, Others expect him to
Pity the child who knew his parents, Saw their faults
Saw their love die before his eyes
Pity the child that wise
Pity the child but not forever, Not if he stays that way
He can get all he ever wanted, If he's prepared to pay....
from the musical "Chess"

It is really hard to be an inquisitive child. Always feeling misunderstood, alone, out of place. Having all the energy but not half the knowledge. Especially if you are bright kid in a not so bright society. You will be bullied at school, laughed at
for being different, not be the teacher's favourite, not conforming to others. Even at home it may be intolerable.

Just hold on. Those favourites in school whose parents did everything for them (and by everything I mean give money to the teachers so their child would not get expelled..), disappear after school into thin air and become nothing. If you can stand your ground and fight for what you believe in, you can achieve anything. 

Of course there is a price to pay, but nothing worthwhile is for free anyway. You have to persevere, be flexible and stay passionate. Keep on growing, have a thick skin, but don't become insensitive. Use your experience in school to understand relationship dynamics, learn to be diplomatic, figure out what respect means, so that your time there is not a complete waste. 

You have to pay for it later if you don't take it when it's going for free. 

I wish I learnt more about people and life while I was in school, that's ultimately the only things you need when you leave school. Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate for education, but the only things worthwhile I learnt academically, was at University.

Oscar Wilde said: "Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them." Don't do that. Let go. Your parents are having a hard enough time as it is to just cope with their own problems. You'll understand it when you get their age. The sooner you make peace with everything, the sooner your journey to greatness can begin.

I found it is much easier going through life talking about how you feel, what you like and what you don't like. Rather wear your heart on your sleeve and be unappreciated, than keeping quiet and be misunderstood. 

If you can keep the passion and your individuality, you can excel after school, there will be plenty of time, and leave that dogmatic, restrictive, unfair playground behind.

Children can suffer through school and childhood, tolerate it, and later even survive it.

Become who you were meant to be.