My friend is writing his autobiography.

My friend is writing his autobiography.

He was a posthumous child born to Ghanaian parents. In his culture, at that time, this meant he was born with half a soul and as a result, regarded as prone to sin and damnation.

His mother could not cope following the death of her husband and so my friend, as well as his three year old sister, were given up for adoption.

Then after three years living on a farm in Scotland, with loving parents, their mother turned up, told them she was taking them to the Park, but instead took them on a train to London. No explanation or preparation. All their toys and clothes abandoned.

To this day, my friend doesn’t know if this was done legally.

He became a bed wetter. Was made to sleep on the iron springs of his bed frame because he constantly soaked the mattress. Was beaten again and again, to the point of horror.

Reading your story reminded me how useless blame is when it comes to children.

My friend absolutely did not wet the bed on purpose. But the only tactic attempted in terms of addressing the issue, was punishment. More and more punishment, escalating in severity.

We spend time and money on education. But what we need to do is equip people for life. Financial awareness. Child care. Cooking. Nutrition. Carbon footprint.

Once again a great article, thank you.