Surviving the African Parent

  My mom always says... 'You are a girl...' 'Cut small for me' With a special hand signal attached to it 'I don't blame you' 'In my days eating egg was a privilege' 'Is it not my money?' 'Na-eche na i bu mmadu, m ga-ario ka i mee nke a' (Assuming you were a human, i'll ask you to do this for me) 'You cannot do anything' (but she does everything in the house) 'Why are you shouting?' (But she's shouting as she's asking.) 'I will kill you and bury you, nobody will ask of you, I gave birth to you.' 'I comment my reserve ' 'Stop crying, you're making noise' (After she flogs you) 'Why can't you be like your friend?' 'Come and take me picture' 'This is the last time I am arranging my room.' These quotes are a compilation of quotes that various teens gave me as a response to the question "What's that thing that your mom ALWAYS says?"

 

 

 

  This story was possible thanks to a 16 year old lady. We were staying at a hotel because my dad had a seminar that he needed to attend for work purposes. At the end of the seminar was a family dinner for the families of all the employees- it was a strictly black-tie event.  The afternoon prior to the event, my younger brother got some gum and was enjoying himself- chewing it while he did everything from playing games to watching TV. (He really loved gum). Afterwards he fell asleep in the bedroom of the suite we were staying in.  Two hours to the event, I was in the parlor of the suite when I heard a cry from the bedroom.  I rushed there panicking, with all sorts of scenarios in my head.  Nothing prepared me for what I saw. My aunt, my mom and my dad were all crowded around my brother with shaving sticks in their hand shaving off his hair. Why? The gum he'd been chewing all afternoon, somehow found its way into his hair, (all over his hair) from his mouth ...

 

This story is courtesy of a 16 year old girl from Eastern Nigeria. We are four in my family. I am the only girl and the second child. When we were little, my elder brother gave us all nicknames. I was 'MODO'  (from 'odo' meaning mortar. It was meant to be mother of 'odo' but it was shortened somewhere along the line)  My younger brother was 'DONDY' (not like the word idiot though, just DONDY. To be honest, I'm not quite sure where it came from).  The last of us was called 'THE BEAST' because he could eat just about anything, anywhere.  It was all fun and games until my younger brother wrote and informal letter in school and signed it 'THE BEAST'.  Our teacher was worried, our parents were horrified, and we were in our eldest brother's room laughing our heads off at the event! We never had nicknames after that!

 

Welcome to the last months of the year! The '-ember' months! While to some people these months can be particularly drab, especially with the weather, Surviving the African Parent is bringing a special surprise to you.  After extensive interviews with other teens who had no problem sharing their stories to be published, these next few months, from September to December are going to be filled with perspectives from other homes. I hope you enjoy reading!  HAPPY NEW MONTH!