“Kids say the darndest things”, I have heard this saying numerous times, but it never really meant much to me; maybe it did not make meaning because I had never personally experienced it, or perhaps I did not think it was anything because I did not have kids of my own at that time. When I did have kids, I thought maybe my kids had not gotten to that age…, well until they suddenly did. But at what age do kids begin to say the darndest things, apparently there is no timeline because every child is different or how else do you explain a 2year old saying “mummy don’t stress me” in such a matter-of-fact tone. What does he consider stress, “how do I stress you?” What do you know about stress sir? Or you trying to sneak your favourite meal into your bedroom away from the ever-hungry tummies of your kids and your kid says to you “Mummy I can see you sneaking upstairs with your food” all the while not looking up from her electronic device.
Then again, there is the mystery of how ideas play out in their minds, like how do you come to having this conversation with a 2yrear old, you made the grave error of taking to a shop full of toys especially when you had no intention of buying anything. The idea was just to quickly get into the shop and buy a pair of socks they need for school the next day, but of course, their eyes must catch the one toy they have been asking you for and they can’t take their eyes off. Suddenly you are ambushed, and they begin to use every weapon in their arsenal to get you to buy that toy for them. In turn you use the age long excuse that worked for our parents before us and theirs before “I don’t have money, when I have the money I will buy it for you” then instead of quietly understanding or throwing a tantrum like other kids, he says, “don’t you worry mummy; we can go to the money shop to go BUY money, then you can buy it”. Conversations like this result in hearty laughs and are best experienced in person.
I have been around kids for the longest time and caring for them since I was about 10years old, a by-product of having a large and involved extended family, as is the case in a lot of African homes or maybe just Nigerians? And even though I thought I knew everything about raising kids, because I thought watching them for a few hours for a relative was the same as being a parent, “how intelligent of me!”, and was never fearful of having kids, I truly cannot say I was prepared for the roller coaster that is parenthood.
Kids are born as complete humans with everything they need already imputed in them even though not as fully developed adults, but they are people, and it will be fool hardy for anyone to treat them otherwise.
