Sometimes, when I think back to the time of old or olden days where some things that are happening now were never even imagined, I tell myself, "So long as you are still breathing, there is nothing new under the sun, but you'll still get surprised under the sun." Life is definitely full of surprises and wonders.
Hello friends in the Hiveghana community, my name is Fashtioluwa, and I am the alien in the hive and this is my entry for the hiveghana prompt. Enjoy.
Now, before I started writing, I saw the prompt topic and I felt like I should write about what happened to me today, which surprised me a lot.
I am a Nigerian, and I am from the Yoruba tribe, a tribe that cherishes respect more than the food they eat. Since I'm a Yoruba boy, I also love respecting people, and I expect them to respect me in return. As a young boy or girl, you cannot call an elder by their first name; you either add "Uncle or brother" for the guys or "Aunty or sister" for the ladies before calling their first name. It's a sign of respect.
There are these small baby girls in my community who are just entering their puberty stage or are just finishing their puberty stage. Girls that call me "Uncle and brother" without even adding my first name but now, things are changing. I was just on my way to get pepper that I would use to prepare dinner when I saw precious, and she greeted me like this.
"Hey Fash, good afternoon.
I turned around to see who it was because the voice was too small to call me by my name. I saw a baby girl, precious, who I used to teach assignments, call my name again.
"Tiolu, how are you?"
It was then that my head sparked. Okay Okay. You might think this is not a big deal, but it is in Yoruba land because its our culture. It's a sign of disrespect. Even if guys my age are asking her out, I don't think she has the right to call me by my first name. Anyway, I tongue-lashed her and told her never to try it again.
I was really surprised because she was someone I took as my junior sister, while my younger sister and brother are older than her, so imagine her calling me by my first name in the presence of my siblings or parents. That's very disrespectful.
Young ladies this days surprises me a lot, especially young teens who don't know anything about life and are still under the care of their parents. Immediately, they grow two small oranges and look a little attractive; they believe they own the world. Some of their words and actions continue to surprise me.
I believe parents have a lot to play in bringing up their children before they reach that age. Some parents always avoid lifelong educational teaching with their kids. I would say it's better they learn it from their parents than from a stranger outside. Some people grew up without parental love, and this makes them always seek any kind of love outside.
Anyway, parents should train their kids, both boys and girls, because the things they do these days are quite shocking. Things are changing, and it's not like we used to know anymore.