When the uncooperative family member decides to cooperate.
In every family, we all have that one person who is like a problem and goes against every instruction that comes from above or higher authority. They are stubborn, and sometimes you wish you could just do away with them, but they are family, and there is totally nothing you can do to change that. Truth be told, this stubborn sibling or family member is always the life of the party, as once they step in, the whole room changes. There are times where you appreciate their character and how they fail to follow every instruction given, and there are times when you just wish they could just cooperate without a single word.
In my family, my younger brother Johnson is that family member. Quite young and rough, before you get him to do as you wish, you must instill some kind of fear in him; otherwise, he's not going to bend. He is not the type of child you pet to get something done; you just have to raise your voice, and that is the only way you see him on his best behavior. He has been like that since childhood and still grew up that way; at some point I disliked that character of his, but now I realize we cannot all be the same or be cool-headed.
"Johnson mom said you would follow her to the shop on Monday; you would watch after the shop while she goes to the market to restock." My elder sister passed a message that changed Johnson's countenance and prompted the expected response.
"I cannot go to the market with mom. I have plans for Monday, and nothing will make me follow mom as I have my Monday plans mapped out already." Johnson responded like he is older than everyone in the room.
"On Monday we will see if you are the one that gave birth to yourself or you are the one feeding yourself." My dad shouted from his bedroom, and immediately Johnson's morale went low.
"Now I am no longer looking forward to Monday like I ought to since my plans have been altered." Johnson murmured
The typical Johnson just needs to be pushed with power and authority before he bends. In the end, he followed mom to the market and watched over her shop, but it took a lot of power tussle to get him to do that. He is known for never cooperating until you show him that you are more powerful or superior to him, and that way he will do what you ask of him.
Once he steps into the room, he changes the room. If there was silence all over the house, the moment he steps in, there will be noise all over. He is the spokesperson for all of us, but sometimes he overdoes it, and it becomes very annoying. The one activity my siblings and I hate so much is following my mom to her farmland. Due to how grumpy we become whenever she talks about it made her leave farming, and countering her whenever she talks about going to the farm is when we appreciate Johnson's character.
"Hey kids, we will be going to clear that my farmland we have abandoned for years to clear it up since the cost of food items is getting out of hand. Let's help ourselves." My mom said one morning after we just said morning prayer, spoiling our whole day before it even started.
"No problem, mom, and what time are we going for the clearing?" Johnson asked calmly, leaving the whole family in awe if it was really him.
"We need to go early, at 7am, so we will be back early." My mom responded.
"No problem, mom. Once it is time, call on me." Johnson responded as he left the room, leaving the rest of us looking at each other and wondering what came over him.
Till date, we do not know what caused him to be so calm that morning, but it was as if the real him was away with the fairies.
Johnson reminded me of my cousin. He's really a stubborn and yappy kid, and whenever I babysit him before, I really extend my patience a mile. He's really an annoying and yappy kid, and he knows how to win arguments. That's why, like how you do it with Johnson, we also bend him with authority and fear because it's really hard making a sense out of him. Your story was pretty relatable, and the cause behind his action that day was sure intriguing. Thanks for sharing, @offia66!
I think every family has that one person that turns out to be very stubborn.
Yes—they're someone that each family really has!