My childhood was fun, and I was enjoying the roller coaster before my siblings came and spoilt the show. Well, I'm glad I have them now because they are my support system. It is best for parents to draw the lines between their children being outspoken and disrespectful, and that's exactly what my parents did while I was a child. As the first child of the family, I am almost everywhere you see my parents, especially my mom. As a mother, she always takes me around, which gave me the privilege to listen to conversations. As a child, I thought it was my right to be there with adults and have a say in whatever it is they are discussing, and that always put me in a lot of trouble as a child.
Whenever a conversation was going on, I always wanted to contribute, but then I knew the importance of sign language. My mom knows how to say different words to you with her eyes, which you dare not ignore, but then I do pretend as if I never understood the message she was trying to pass across to me. I do answer questions that are clearly none of my business; it's mere poking and an act of indiscipline trying to play out in me. It got to a point where I talk to people without minding their ages. To me then, I didn't see anyone has been an elder; if I was spoken to in a way that displeases me, I would immediately give back a response, and being disrespectful was setting in for me real quick, including when I was speaking to my parents.
My parents noticed this and were thinking I was too young for all the acts I was showcasing, and where could I possibly have learned all that from? I wasn't exposed to social media nor given the opportunity to mingle with other kids in my neighborhood, except for my classmates in school. One experience that I could remember vividly was the day my mom was discussing with one of our family members who came to visit, and I interrupted their discussion by giving my opinion about whom they were talking about. And immediately I said whatever it was I said, then my mom gave me a resounding slap that got even the visitor shocked, then sent me inside. I went inside crying, and when the visitor left, she called me out and caned me, giving me a stern warning not to ever sit with her when I saw a visitor not to talk about interfering in their discussions.
Since that day onward, I learn to always head inside my room whenever a visitor visits, and if I go out with her, I learn to keep my mouth shut all through their conversation, looking as innocent as I can be. I'm glad she taught me that lesson at a tender age not to be disrespectful all in the name of being outspoken and to always mind my business as a child, and that had become part of me even as an adult. That slap then reset whatever was causing me to misbehave; it was as if she had been targeting my mouth; she knew I would talk because I've done that in the past, and she only chastised me by giving me a stern look, but that day was different. I learned my lesson, and it shaped me into who I am today, a better version of myself.
Thanks for your time, and your comments will be appreciated.
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