Then Uncle Rwamiti asked where Mum was going.

Sunday morning.

“Joshua! Get ready. You’re going to church!”

Joshua asks the obvious question.

“Mum, are you coming?”

“No. I have things to do.”

“Then why should I go?”

And Mum produces one of the oldest arguments in the African parenting handbook:

“BECAUSE I AM YOUR MOTHER!”

What happens next is in the short video below. 👇

Please watch it before reading further. Then tell me what you think.

Because this story isn’t really about church.

It is about something much bigger.

We spend enormous amounts of time worrying about teenagers.

They don’t listen.

They are always on their phones.

They don’t read.

They don’t respect adults.

They don’t go to church.

They don’t exercise.

They lie.

They spend too much money.

Perhaps all of that deserves attention.

But Uncle Rwamiti has another question:

What are they watching us do?

A parent tells a child to put away the phone while scrolling through WhatsApp.

A teacher demands punctuality and walks into class late.

A father lectures his son about alcohol while reaching for another drink.

A boss demands honesty from employees while quietly manipulating expenses.

And Mum sends Joshua to church while she stays home.

None of this makes Joshua innocent.

He disobeys his mother. He goes to the cinema. And then he lies about it.

When Mum wants him prosecuted, Uncle Rwamiti agrees.

Joshua is guilty.

But then Rwamiti asks:

“Where were you?”

Suddenly the courtroom becomes uncomfortable.

Mum asks whether Rwamiti is defending Joshua.

“No,” he says. “He lied.”

Then comes the line that explains why your parents probably shouldn’t have introduced you to this uncle:

“I’m simply adding another defendant.”

Perhaps teenagers need guidance.

Perhaps they need boundaries.

Perhaps sometimes they even need consequences.

But there is another form of education taking place every day that requires no classroom, textbook or lecture.

They are watching us.

And sometimes the behaviour we complain about in young people is being taught by adults who don’t realise they are teaching.

So watch the video below. 👇

Then give me your view:

Was Uncle Rwamiti too hard on Mum?

Or is there sometimes more than one defendant in the room?

YOUR MOVE.

Uncle Rwamiti
The uncle your parents probably shouldn’t have introduced you to.
Created by Dr Petero Wamala
Making sense of change through ethical storytelling
Kampala, Uganda