"Close the lights!"

"Yay! I got some new pajamason,” my five year-old self said in an exciting, yet broken English tone.

Chinese was my first language and at five years old I didn't know a spec of English so my mom had the daunting task of teaching me a new language.

Throughout life, we are all given corrections that are meant to help us. Ironically, society has potrayed it as a bad thing, and thus, we have a negative connotation of it. We automatically get defensive and gain a degree of dislike in our hearts for that person. However, in my short 18 years of life I've found that those critiques are actually blessings in disguise. In fact, I believe that it is important not to despise correction.

"No Kaylin it is not DEERS it is deer,” my mom would always say when I tried to pronounce the animal.

"Why,” I sarcastically shot back at her, “You said when there's more than one, there's a "S" at the end of it!” 

"Some words in English are the same no matter how many of them there are,” Mom said in a restraining voice.

"I hate English! It's so stupid and confusing,” I said in a whining tone.

This was just one of several incidents I've had with my mom over the contradicting and idiosyncratic rules of English. The "i" before "e" except after "c" rule that I, instead, remembered it as "y" before "c" except after "d". There were even more rules about the past and present tense. In addition, there was the subject and predicate rule. I couldn't pronounce the name of the rule let alone learn how to use it! Furthermore, the complicated pitfalls of the American vernacular just threw another wrench into the mess.

Over the years, I submissively listened to my mother's corrections, even though I wanted her to never talk about English again. I accepted her corrections partly because I wanted her to stop nagging me, but also because deep down I knew that I had to accept her critiques if I wanted to get better. I had to stop refusing the hand that was trying to help me. Eventually, I learn that one doesn’t “closes” the lights, but actually “turns” it off, and tragically, found out that the word "pajamason" was just called “pajamas” that one puts on and wears.

Looking back, I've realized that if I had been prideful and refused the constructive criticism I wouldn't have been able to write this paper today. We gain knowledge and wisdom when we accept these critiques, despite the embarrassment or anger we may feel initially. This world doesn't owe me anything, but when someone is gracious enough to give me advice, through constructive criticism, on how to overcome the challenges of life, I will gladly take it. I believe that we can all strive to become a better version of ourselves if we simply just allow correction.