SEC-S18W6: Once upon a time when I was a child!

Children should be born with various guarantees from their parents, health insurance, education, protection, comfort, a better future and even the best position. This is the ideal narrative that a child should have.

Am I not like that?

I am happy and grateful to have been born perfect, and healthy in a positive family and environment. I think in general every child gets the same thing. Even though I was born with financial limitations and grew up in an environment of prolonged political conflict, I have achieved everything.

My parents, with all their limitations, have brought me and 8 other family members to grow well, getting everything even though they are not like other children with promising socio-economic status.

In the midst of a family economic crisis with a fairly high burden of responsibilities, my parents have become irreplaceable role models to this day.

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When I was 5 years old, I just saw every child my age at that time being taken by their parents to preschool education (kindergarten), the desire to be like the others kept appearing so I started asking "Daddy... dedy (my name is ) wanted to be like them, wanted to go to school like them, every morning his parents would accompany him in neat uniforms," ​​but do you know what my father's answer was at that time? "Son, Dad wants you to be more than them, more than what Dad felt when he was little, but right now we don't have the money for that."

I was disappointed, but this disappointment paid off when my older siblings who had grown up became the best pre-school teachers for me. Every morning I was dressed in white and blue clothes sewn by my mother herself, even though without shoes I studied under a stilt house on the ground. There I was raised and taught about selfless pre-school education.

I also have a variety of toys made with simple equipment available in the garden, cutting some bamboo sticks to make swings, and making toy cars using thatch leaves. Maybe other children at school don't feel this, but I get everything with love and sincerity.

Every day I am always accompanied by fun learning, and playing while learning. That was the learning pattern applied by my parents and siblings at that time. How happy it is to remember that time, the golden era when you always had a special place, warmth and complete love.

Time continued to pass so quickly and admissions for basic education students were opened, even though I was very comfortable with non-formal education at that time, I was even able to read fluently, and read the Holy Qur'an properly and correctly when I was 5 years old.

Elementary school education is not something new for me, because I have learned everything before entering elementary school. My oldest brother is an elementary school teacher so he always brought me textbooks when studying at home at pre-school age.

It turned out that elementary school education was more fun, even though he used a manual bicycle, his father took him every morning and picked him up when study time was over. I continued to enjoy this period until grade 3. Family support continued to encourage me to continue learning and learning. I am grateful that I always get achievements with the limitations that I have.

An unforgettable memory was when I asked to buy a school worksheet, my father only answered _"Be patient, son, at the moment I don't have the money to buy it, what if you lend me a school worksheet from your friend, then you copy it in your notebook."

I followed his advice and continued writing until I completed 6 years of basic education with a very satisfactory title.

Enrolling in your favourite school in the city is everyone's dream, including me, but I had to bury that dream because it was quite far away. I would need a lot of money if I had to go to school in the city. Finally, I put up with it and accepted the conditions at that time.

A sentence that continues to motivate me was said by my father at that time, "Son, let me live in a house that is bad, but filled with sparkling gold."

I had difficulty understanding the phrases spoken by my father and asked my other siblings for an explanation. Finally, I got an answer that was encouraging and became the biggest motivation in my life. It turns out that this expression taught me that even if we don't become a student at our favourite school, and then we are enrolled in a non-favourite school, by continuing to learn, we will be able to be like them, even more than them.

It turned out to be true, I had also completed my education with the same knowledge as children who graduated from superior schools. My journey in the world of education continued until I completed my diploma III at a non-leading campus and was not popular with other children.

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How have my days been since pre-school education?

The journey of living with socioeconomic limitations has taught me to be a responsible and independent person. From an early age, I started to get used to helping my parents in meeting their daily living needs, even when I started junior high school, I started to become a commodity trader.

My extended family didn't like my decision at that time, but I secretly tried to do something profitable, from the profits from the business of buying areca nut which became my capital so I was able to enter campus without burdening them.

If you looked at the lives of other children, I would definitely be considered unhappy, I never had time to travel out of town, get toys or other gifts bought in shops. Every day the family only plays with various traditional games.
It turns out that this pattern has had an impact on my life since then, having various skills in designing various types of traditional games and then selling them to other children who are facilitated by promising finances.

Today I have enjoyed everything, the result of being raised by a family with all limitations, even though I don't have abundant wealth, but I have a sense of social concern for the environment and have a decent job.

Indonesia, June 26, 2024
@irawandedy