Key to Success

Key to Success

“Work before play,” my mom always used to say on weekends. This saying haunted me in elementary school when I had to stay inside and do homework and chores instead playing outside with the other kids. These boring tasks led me to believe that my parents pushed me too hard. However, as I grew older and entered middle school, I began to realize that my parents were only pressing me to work hard because they wanted me to succeed.

As a result of my parents pushing me to work hard, I have always received an A or A+ in every class. I believe that strict parenting leads to a child’s success.

My parents set the ground rules for me at a very young age. Although I don’t recall any of my young childhood, my parents tell me stories of my early years. One of these stories was about my first lesson on the word “no.” At about the age of six months, I noticed several fragile vases on a low table that were in my reach. Whenever my mom saw me crawl over to it, she would say, “No Adele,” in a firm voice and then move me to the other side of the room. She continued doing this until finally whenever I neared the vases, I would shake my head and say, “ No, No Adele!” From that early age, I had already begun to learn that when my mom says no to something, I must obey, whether I agree with her decision or not. I still understand this lesson today. Even though my mom no longer says the word “no” daily, I still know that when she does it is to keep me safe.

Besides setting the ground rules early on, my parent also set their expectation bar for me as well. In elementary school, I was expected to finish my homework and then make my lunch for the next day as soon as I got home. My parents also required that I earned an A in all of my classes. Although my parents do not keep after me about my grades as much today, now that I have entered middle school, I still try my hardest in school.

Overall, from my parent’s strict words of work before play, to their high expectations, I believe that these lessons are what will lead me to success and therefore happiness. The future is an open door and I hope it will be as enjoyable as the beginning of my life. I always look forward to tomorrow and have no one else to thank but my parents for pushing me to work hard in order to achieve happiness and success.