From the years 2009 to 2023, I have encountered numerous problems, from simple algebra questions to complex situations that involve friends pressuring you. Each issue has a solution if you know where to look.

For math questions, I look for solutions on Google. But, I cannot look to Google to solve problems I have with peer pressure or bullies. This is where my mum comes in.

I remember the first time I encountered a bully in third grade. He was a fat kid who made fun of me for being ‘geeky’. Everyone would laugh at his jokes about me and I felt quite hurt about it. I remember vividly searching on Google: “How to deal with bullies.” The result I got was a WikiHow page telling me to avoid the bully as much as possible.

When I told my mum about this, she told me, “Wimps who can’t stand up for themselves do this.”

I asked her what I should do instead and she told me the most practical solution to deal with this bully.

The next day, I proudly employed this solution and it worked perfectly. When the bully made fun of me for wearing glasses, I made a comeback joke about his weight. Everyone laughed at the joke I made and had never seen a boy with pinker cheeks before. That kid never bullied me again and he soon had a newfound respect for me because I stood up for myself.

Another difficult moment I faced was going to a party with my friends. I had an important test the next day and wasn’t sure if I should have fun or study more. All of my friends told me to relax and take a break. By this time, I was already wise enough to not search up what to do on Google, but I can imagine what response it would give me: a two-page article discussing peer pressure.

I asked my mother and she asked me one question: “Have you already studied enough?”

I obviously said yes, because I was quite studious.

And my mother told me something that was quite atypical of the maternal response shown on TV. She said, “Go ahead and have fun!”

I was surprised by this and kept looking at her in disbelief then she explained, “It’s okay to have fun in life, the problems start to happen when you have too much fun.”

So, I went to that party and had one of the most memorable memories of my life.

As a teen, I now sometimes disagree with what my mum says, but my brother always reminds me that our mother is like “Google” for the problems we face in life. The way we can sometimes doubt ourselves and double-check our working when Google gives us a different answer for a math problem, we should not completely disregard what our mothers have to say and check if we are doing the right thing or not.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 3rd, 2024