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Most of these white lies mostly come from mothers, as they are always close to the children, and to get them to dance to their tune, they lie, unimaginable lies.. lol., and it worked like magic during my time as a child and many others. It will interest you to know that I also fabricate some lies presently to my kids just to scare them in some certain behaviors; however, it looks like kids nowadays are fortified inside the womb with smartness before they are born. lolz, this is because, unlike my parents, who deceived us over anything they wanted, my kids, especially my second son, will always challenge me with so many "whys" 😂. Why is it like this and that? Imagine, when I expected him to believe everything just as I did those years ago.
I was fed so many lies as a child, and one of them was from Grandma. She told me that "anyone that eats rice regularly, at a point, a rice 🌾 plant will start growing 🪴 on the person'head, and other people can be plucking it from their head. She said this because I didn't like other kinds of food except rice. I would reject different foods prepared for the family and request rice. She knew that I needed other nutrients that come from other classes of food and then lied to me. I started disliking eating rice at the thought that rice would grow on my head. I didn't want to carry a rice plant on top of my head and be moving around. The worst part of it is that I spread the white lie to other children in my class. They believed the lie and wouldn't want much rice intake. This lie made me like any other food prepared by Grandma. I stopped selecting food at that point, but as I grew up, I discovered the lie behind her actions. I asked her, and she explained her motive for telling such a lie. It worked for her without struggling to get me to eat other meals.
That's a nice tactic anyway, but the worst part of the lie she told me that affected me while growing up was that once a man touches you, you become pregnant. Hmmmm, this lie made me always isolate myself in any way boys do. I acted deaf and dumb to guys on several occasions. Even those who just wanted to ask me a simple question. I never stopped on the road to reply to any guy seeking friendship back then. Anytime I try to, the words from Grandma will occupy my mind. The day my cousin brother touched my shoulder just for greeting, I died and ressurected , lol. As a growing girl child, I didn't want to mess up my life and stop schooling. I thought that the touch from my cousin would get me pregnant immediately since he is a guy. Fear gripped me for 3 weeks until I saw my next menstrual cycle. The relief I got the day I saw my period after the touch was unimaginable. Then, at my secondary school level, I was educated about sex education, and I knew grandma wanted to give me high blood pressure for nothing's sake.
In summary, our parents meant well for us. Some of their actions are to protect us and help us live responsibly; however, some of them lack the proper way of getting things right. What my grandmother did affected my growing up as a child in terms of mixing up with the opposite gender, but when I found out the truth, I was able to fix things, mingle with both genders, and learn from each other.
This post is in response to the #hivelearners contest on the topic titled "Childhood Lies."
