As a 14year old lad, lying in bed, eyes closed and my mind off on a sweet journey to dreamland, I painted a paradisiacal future.

My mouth broke into a smile at the thought of that life of ease, a life only punctuated with happiness, love, warmth and little difficulty. As a child I dreamt about securing a good education, fat job, a decent house in an uptown settlement,

posh car and finally getting married to that dream woman I always craved, having cute kids. To bottle everything up, I dreamed of having a family surrounded by love and a life to be envied.

Little did I know I had to fold my sleeves, get my hands dirty with work so as to achieve my aspirations.
Seven years down the road, out of the comfort and shelter that my parents provided, and cast into this harsh world, I chuckle on a reflection of such dreams. I now look at them as stupid and childish. The world seems so welcoming till you enter it.

That’s when you begin feeling its wrath; the real world is ruled with labouring, frustrations, pain and sadness.
Allan Rwimira, a graduate who has been on the streets job-hunting for two years has this to say, "….man, life outside is hell, things look totally different.

I have wandered on almost every corner of the streets, dropped my job application forms at every office reception desk, all to no avail. No company has called me up. My life is a nightmare; I wonder whether this is the life I am fated to lead.

I usually slap myself hard in the face to make sure am not day dreaming…”
Many teenagers being shelved in the warm folds of their parents, think life is an easy ride, they take everything for granted and find it usually difficult to adapt to the actual world.

Hassan Kabunga from a well-fixed family at 28 still lives at his parents’ house because he grew up being pampered.He doubtlessly can’t sustain an independent life of his own.

To wrap-up, I am of a suggestion that parents should stop handling their children with baby-gloves and also desist from introducing them to lavish lifestyles they haven’t worked for as this only serves to mould them into lazy, careless, dependant and irresponsible adults.

Parents should instead tutor their children about the value of hard work and arm them with life skills that will help them keep their heads on top in these turbulent ocean waters (this world), anything less and they drown.

Ends