Do not mind my thumbnail ππ
Well, before I saw this prompt, I have always thought a lot about the predominant trait I and my family share in common. It took some time for me to realize but I found it out in an a-ha moment. For lack of words, I would term it stubbornness, almost bordering on pride.
In my family, we have two types of stubbornness; the quiet type and the loud type. My dad is the quiet one of my parents. My mum likes to call him The Peacemaker. My dad can be quite stubborn, especially in terms of fostering peace. My dad hates quarrels, arguments or keeping beefs with anyone. Since I was born, I have never heard my dad raise his voice at my mother. That's just how it is. Even if my dad is not at fault in a quarrel, he is always quick to extend an olive branch and move past bad blood. He is quick to forgive and forget. There was a time an aunt of mine decided to cut off ties with the extended family as a whole. Where other family members were easily giving up on her, my dad was persistent and stubborn in his pursuit to bring her back into the family and he succeeded.
My mum is fire. She's fiery. She's the fire to my dad's water. Sometimes, I imagine her having a crown of flames on top her head.π My dad is one of the 1% of people who can calm her down. My mum is quite stubborn and very persistent. She never gives up, no matter what. My mum always love to stand up for others and what she thinks is right. She doesn't like to be walked all over. She also doesn't like her children or husband to be looked down on. When I was about to enter secondary school, the school I chose wouldn't accept me because I wasn't a Yoruba girl. My mum traveled to the school countless times to talk to the admin staff and the principal. She was insistent that I attend a federal school. And she got her wish. I didn't enter the school I chose, but I ended up getting accepted into a federal school in Abuja (a better choice, if you ask me). If there's one thing my mum imbibed in me, it was never ever to keep quiet. She taught me never to allow people to walk all over me or try to dominate over me. She taught me to stand up for myself and to never give up on whatever I set my mind to. I think that's where I got my stubbornness from. I got that trait from her.
Though, I can't say I took that peace making thing from my dad. I'm not persistent in pursuing friendships or relationships or fixing things. I can only try once or twice before I'm like whatever. It takes a lot for me to swallow my pride and extend an olive branch, most especially when I feel I am not at fault. I would rather let things flow as they will than force things. And I'm too stubborn to ask for help from people. Not unless, it's my last option. I got that from my mum too.
My siblings all carry varying degrees of stubbornness. The boys all take theirs from my dad. They are the silent stubborn types. They could pretend to hear whatever you are saying but they would still go ahead to do whatever they want and damn the consequences. My sister and I though?? It's mum all the way. So, the one trait my family share in common is stubbornness among other things like persistence and self-reliance. And this trait has somehow helped us in accomplishing respective tasks and goals. I think it's a wonderful trait to have.
Thumbnail designed by me.
Posted Using InLeo Alpha