The lies I was told as a kid

Hello Steemians! I came across the sankofa writing contest from steemnaira whatsapp page, saw @eunireal1 submission and I got motivated to write mine. Do enjoy...

I grew up on an estate, where everyone had to act posh either the person wants to or not. It is not that we were rich as my older siblings grew up in the ghetto area of my town, it was the local war that made us relocate. If you stayed anywhere near the State of Osun in the late 1990's you must have known of the war between the Ife and Modakeke people, the war happened during my childhood stage.

Telling this background story is to make you aware of the fact that I was both naive & stupid. Almost everything I hear, I believed it. Simply because because I spend almost my childhood indoor and could not have any another source of confirming things.

My siblings took advantage of this and I was told lies, a truck load of it. Even my maternal grandma did tell me some.

I would be sharing the top 3 lies, since the contest did not specify the amount of stories to share. Shout out to @sankofa 💪 🙌

=> Touching rain while it drops from the roofing sheets induces thunder

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During rainy seasons, I like to watch the way rain droplets fall from our aluminium roofing sheets. It always has this sensation when it drops on my finger, and any time I have the opportunity i put my hands under the drops. One of those rainy days came, I was playing ball in the balcony when the weather changed.

Had to suspend the ball and move into the house anticipating the rain and my lovely droplets. Did not know my eldest bro was already in the house, he is actually very good at been sarcastic (got matured before I got to know). When the rain started to pour, I stuck my hands out setting my fingers under where the rain droplets would fall.

Next thing I heard was

Ìyanu!!! Kí lò ún she?

Which translates 'what are you doing?' Then he went on to tell me how thunder wofks through the rain, that any time it is rainy the roofing sheetS are always full of thunder just waiting for lightning to occur. I told him that I have been doing it and nothing had happened, said he is lying.

He then asked if lightning had shown when I have been sticking my hands oit, and the sincere answer was 'NO'. I was lectured on how I have been lucky and that mum and dad's prayers had been working, was told never fo try it again.

That was how I believed it, and anytime rain falls all I could do was to watch the lovely droplets without me getting to touch. It was later on I was told in school that it was just a myth to teach children manners, but I had believed my bro for over five years.

=> Washing the legs before the head meant bad luck

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This was my mum's, this was when i was old enough to bathe myself. I had liked the idea of washing my legs and feet first before standing up to deal with the head using the sponge to do the scrub. On the day it happened, I can not even remember what she was looking for in the bathroom when she just came in.

I was still young then so I was not shocked, not long I had the independence of bathing myself. I had rubbed soap on my head, bent down to wash my leg when mum came in. It must have been the soap on my head that gave me away because she asked in Yoruba

hope you know you have not rinsed your head well?

I was like ' no o, I have not even washed it yet'. That was how I got the epistle of how washing the leg and using the sponge on the head after is a way of calling unto badluck and backwardness. I can remember been shocked and afraid, I even said words of prayer after the incident.

When I got older, I discovered that the main reason was that the leg & feet is usually dirty as compared to the head. It is more appropriate to wash from the head downwards, mum admitted to telling me a myth just when I gor admission into the university.

=> Collecting àródan

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This very lie is told to almost every stubborn child in the Yoruba ethnic group as long as you can disturb and act restless. Let me share my own story, maternal grandma combined with my dad to pull this stunt on me and it was a fast one.

We held party at our house, it was an end of the year celebration so relatives came over. There were lots of food and the only thing I could do then was to eat and disturb those in charge of the food, as I was told when I older; I did a lot of disturbance.

Grandma beckoned and I walked up to her, then she said to me:

go and collect àródan from your dad, make sure you get it before you return to me.

I went to find my dad, took me a while before I saw him talking to his friends. I had to wait for them to conclude what they were doing before I could approach him to avoid spanking later on.

I went near him to let him know that grandma has requested for àródan and that I have to get it on time and return fast. He smiled when I mentioned 'fast' and that is where I should have suspected but I was naive. He asked me to hold on that the person with it is not around, he even got me a seat.😖

For someone that does not what àródan means; àródan does not exist or let me say that it is not an object, it is a word used by adults to tell themselves to hold the bearer of the word down as long as possible.

That was how I was waiting for the person with àródan to come, I had to sleep on the chair where dad asked me to sit. When I woke up, grandma said she has seen it and I did not know I was played.😖

Dear @sankofa, hope I have filled some of the space in the truck😁?

Picture by @misterakpan

I remain @heeyahnuh, keep steeming!