DAY 17: SOMETHING I'M PROUD OF

Growing up, I had a fairly rocky relationship with my parents, especially my dad. We hardly ever spoke except when we talked about school. We didn't see eye to eye at all. He felt I was irresponsible and unserious. I felt he didn't know me and so he couldn't make that judgement. My mum and I also had our issues.
My parents felt I wasn't being a good role model to my siblings especially in respect of my academics. They both felt I wasn't applying myself. It was sort of true. I did the barest minimum to scale through secondary school. I just wanted them to leave me alone.
Then I went to college and by the special grace of God (cos it was definitely God) I graduated top of my class. At that moment, my relationship with my parents turned around. Personally, I felt so good and I never wanted to go back to being that person who didn't try hard enough and this was my attitude throughout my educational career. When I was revising for my bar exams, my father told me to take a break. That's how far our relationship had come. Now, he thinks I work too hard.
My sister has done better than I've done in her academics and it makes me feel great when my parents reference me when talking about her successes.
My father calls me the flagship. He involves me in my siblings upbringing and in every family decision. I got my first article published in a legal magazine last week and my dad told me how proud he was of me.
I'm proud that I've become the daughter my parents wanted and knew I could be. I'm proud that they can see how responsible I am and how hard I work. I'm proud that my siblings are doing well because I'm a good example. I'm proud that my uncles and aunts say how positively I've influenced their kids. I'm proud that my family in general and my parents in particular, are proud of me.