Children’s Day is a special day set aside to celebrate children—and for good reasons. Children are often treated as second-class citizens, not given the kind of treatment they deserve, especially in African societies where the tendency is to silence them, to tell them ‘Respect your elders’ and ‘Don’t talk when adults are talking.’ But while it is very important to celebrate children on this day, it is equally important to remember that all of us adults were once children too, and a day like this can be a good opportunity to reflect on our experiences of childhood.

In our First Draft column at The Republic, we asked six writers about their fondest childhood memories. Though long past childhood, these authors hold their fond childhood memories very dearly. Most of these memories feature family members, such as fathers and mothers, as in the case of the Cameroonian author who fondly remembers the taste of a bottle of Malta Guinness bought her by her father. Others, like Lola Akinmade Åkerström, reminisced about the moment they realized that writing fiction would become a part of their lives. By asking these authors about their fondest childhood memories, we have learnt just how dear family is to children.

Here are six writers and their fondest childhood memories.