S@mi:




your story is heart touching,  hum hum parents were so wrong back then, I remember when I had to go and stay in my uncle house, he has a wife & 3 grown up kids, but I found out cruel that I'm always the one to take care of the home and cleaning the dishes and rest rooms, my uncle wife was so cruel with me to the extent that she will have to wake up me up late at night to come and clean dishes or sweep her room !whereas her kids are busy sleeping and they were so lazy, but i finally made me way outta there, but it wasn't easy for me as a kid grewing up .

I just look back on it now, and wished I have actually done something about it.  I mean, take this for instance, during holiday periods when her kids are back from boarding schools and all at the shop, the first born gets 15naira as lunch money (I am older than the dude by at least good Seven years or so), the second one and third one gets 12naira each. It is me and the last one who was just a youngster at the time get the same 10naira for lunch.

My sister's excuse? They just came back from boarding school, they look lean and thin, hence they need to eat more before heading back!  I mean, how destructive is this for a young person? How can they make you feel more different? smh. The irony of it all is that me and my sister are of the same mother and father, yet I sometimes feel like I was probably adopted and will one day find the adoption papers.

Fast-forward years on, out of all his kids, I am not sure any one of them is as big as me. (And those who have met me will tell you I am not a massive guy lol) I guess that is just life.

In her defence, I felt sometimes she probably acted that way because she her first born (roughly same age as me) died of mysterious circumstance and hence she went overboard in protecting her the existing in the best way she can, and I bear the brunt. That was my some of my thoughts, but the last time I was home, she had a houseboy, and then it just dawned on me that I was used like a house boy while I was there. Also, in my most recent visit, she's taken in my step sister and she confided in me about how she was been treated, and it is no different from how I was when I was there.   She goes to a public school just like I did and her daughter (who is now same age as my step sister) goes to Federal Government college in Odogbolu. Sucks really.

This is the best thread I have ever read on Nairaland. All the same, i love my parents dearly but i would never raise my the way my father treated me.
Whipping is a necessary aspect of upbringing but in most cases in the African setting it is abused. I used to believe you have to beat your child to instill some discipline, respect and values.
Right now, i know better that the fear of punishment works better to instill discipline in a child than the actual punishment. How to bring about the 'fear of punishment' is something that is not structured. All the same, this thread has been a wonderful read.

@El
Mehn dats some serious shitzo. I swear i don't think i can forgive someone like that.

Ok here is the reason why i don't think I've actually fully forgiven my dad even though the man died 13 years ago.
First of all, he is one of those useless men that think with their manliness alone (basically i was born and the man was never there).
Being the only boy in the house allowed me take nuff liverties such as demanding to be driven in a particular car and given a certain amount of money that some other families will probably feed on for the week as pocket money.

I think I'd just finished secondary school at the time and was getting ready to return back to the UK and must have offended my mum so bad for her to have reported me to my dad (this is a man i can actually count how many times i have seen him in my life).
That's how the man sent one of his drivers to come pick me up as he wanted to give me some presents for smashing my SSCE. When i got to his, i was asked to strip butt naked and the man beat me so bad i couldn't work for days.
That single event alone just made me X the man as one he was never their ad the only chance he had to make amendments he ruined it.

jay bee:

@El
Mehn dats some serious shitzo. I swear i don't think i can forgive someone like that.

Ok here is the reason why i don't think I've actually fully forgiven my dad even though the man died 13 years ago.
First of all, he is one of those useless men that think with their manliness alone (basically i was born and the man was never there).
Being the only boy in the house allowed me take nuff liverties such as demanding to be driven in a particular car and given a certain amount of money that some other families will probably feed on for the week as pocket money.

I think I'd just finished secondary school at the time and was getting ready to return back to the UK and must have offended my mum so bad for her to have reported me to my dad (this is a man i can actually count how many times i have seen him in my life).
That's how the man sent one of his drivers to come pick me up as he wanted to give me some presents for smashing my SSCE. When i got to his, i was asked to strip butt unclothed and the man beat me so bad i couldn't work for days.
That single event alone just made me X the man as one he was never their ad the only chance he had to make amendments he ruined it.

I agree man, I have tried to get her to see her ways but she hides behind her kids and get her Husband involved. Now, I love her kids to death and the last time one of the was in the UK, we all rolled together, and when I went naija too we all run around together and bash each other playing pro on ps3, hooking with ladies, you know all those fun stuff. I guess it is my own way of showing that I do not harbour any ill-feelings towards them. However, it hurts that my sister tries to avoid the situation by trying to get her kids to talk to me. I feel such things is wrong as it is my sister I have an issue with and not her kids.


As per your dad, damn man lol. It must be so hard man, I thought I was the only one who have ill-feeling towards my late dad. Lol. Nice to know that I am normal after all and just exhibiting normal human behaviours.

All in all, those experiences has been a valuable life lesson for most of us as we will end up in most cases giving our kids the best we can and not make those mistakes that we felt our Parents/Guardians made.

ARGH!! My parents fuc'ked up on so many levels. Here are some crazy rules I never understood;

1. Thou shall not play with thy neighbours kids; HUH!!   I never quite understood this one.

2. Thou shall not eat from thy neighbors house; Well quite understandable.

3. Your parents enemies are also your enemies; Which means thou shall not play nor talk with their kids nor greet them when you see them.

4. No friends allowed; Neither boys nor girls.

5. If you were given anything by anyone even in front of your parents, your reply should always be "NO, THANK YOU"; This I understand now, but then, it was kinda harsh.

6. No toy guns: WTF!!   Like no toy guns for me. Its a dangerous toy!! ROFLMAO  

7. You cant go over to watch movies at the next door neighbours house; This law is the reason why I never saw "7 Lucky Kids" and "Revenge of the Ninja".

8. The parents are always right; Jeez Louis!!   I lost count of how many times I got my ass whooped for no just cause.

9. Video games are an abomination; O lord!! I remember going to visit my parents friends with em, and their kids would invite me to come join em in playing their video game, and I will respond with "NO! Thank you" ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!      




On the plus side though, Look at me now!!     I guess it wasnt all so bad afterall.


I will post more as my memory recalls them!

for the food part as we own the house we only had one tenant, i do eat their food n they do the same(not everybody's gat a bad intention)

though i considered it a flaw they neva let me feel free, i'd get grounded for doing nothing(locked up in the house), i seldom had time to visit my friends,, i neva got a warning without my butt being grilled, so on

still they made me turn out good, i miss when am not wif them,

the thing is dat we should learn from their methods ,do some refurbishing and upgrades for our kids future

The question for us now that are parents is are you a loving parent, what do you do that makes your children know you love them, do you help to develop your child's reasoning skills or are you teaching them to be oppressive to those younger than them, are you a do what i say parents or do what I do i.e is your life exemplary, when you discipline them do you tell  them what they have done wrong or do you know what they have done wrong, now that you are an adult do you know the difference between discipline and abuse, which are you a disciplinarian or an abuser.

Most parents think because they have had the child he or she owes them the air he or she breaths but i think if most of them think deeply enough they will realise the only person that had a choice as to the bringing of the child into this world is them, they will realise that they owe their children big time cos if children had a choice would they choose you? big question

I have seen the height of physical brutality from failing an exam to watching football or video at my friend’s house, my dad stopped the smacking when we were young but my mum! Lord have mercy!!!! From koboko, cane, pine, omorogun (eba stick) the broken stool’s leg, fan belt, electrical cable, belt, ruler (for Technical drawing). My dad has that look that could make you wee on yourself…. If I touch his car or the hi fi system I would remember the day I was born like…


All in all I could be bitter about it, but no! Because a preacher once said that theirs a curse (quoted from the bible) that follows those who turn against their parents most especially the father NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID,  But I would never ever repeat what they did to my children…,  We had this horrible senior prefect when I was in form one that beat every single class one student! And we are talking about class 1a- 1i (average 35 students each)…

When I was in class 5 I once tried to punish a new entrance to the school but I couldn’t go through it in the end.

One my in-law tried ever so well not to turn on her mum but, her money doesn’t mix with anything to do with her mother….

Okija_juju:

ARGH!! My parents fuc'ked up on so many levels. Here are some crazy rules I never understood;



9. Video games are an abomination; O lord!! I remember going to visit my parents friends with em, and their kids would invite me to come join em in playing their video game, and I will respond with "NO! Thank you" ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!      

Same here. But guess what, I rebelled and quite rightly so. When most people get their first salary, they sometimes send it home etc. Me, my first salary in the UK, I take am buy a PS1 and 5 games.

The thing Parents never seem to grasp is that Video game helps with concentration, decision making, memory and helps with ability to use your thumbs and fingers well. Also, it takes kids away from the streets and less likely to get involve in shenanigans.

@dayokanu, having read through all your posts on this thread, now my conclusion:

You had a highly traumatic childhood experience.
I thank God for your life that you were able to repress some of the experience other wise Anini's scenarios in the 80s would be a child's play.

*insert soundtrack* MJ's 'Have you seen my childhood'

omar22:

I have seen the height of physical brutality from failing an exam to watching football or video at my friend’s house, my dad stopped the smacking when we were young but my mum! Lord have mercy!!!! From koboko, cane, pine, omorogun (eba stick) the broken stool’s leg, fan belt, electrical cable, belt, ruler (for Technical drawing). My dad has that look that could make you wee on yourself…. If I touch his car or the hi fi system I would remember the day I was born like…


All in all I could be bitter about it, but no! Because a preacher once said that theirs a curse (quoted from the bible) that follows those who turn against their parents most especially the father NO MATTER THEY DID, But I would never ever repeat what they did to my children…, We had this horrible senior prefect when I was in form one that beat every single class one student! And we are talking about class 1a- 1i (average 35 students each)…

When I was in class 5 I once tried to punish a new entrance to the school but I couldn’t go through it in the end.

One my in-law tried ever so well not to turn on her mum but, her money doesn’t mix with anything to do with her mother….

Really? NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID?(Sexually molesting you, and all that, please google the story of Marcus Wesson, the kids should LOVE such a man? ) What exactly is the definition of turning against ones parent? And emphasis on father. I'm amazed by what a lot of people think and believe in . To each their own .

Ayowumie:

@dayokanu, having read through all your posts on this thread, now my conclusion:

You had a highly traumatic childhood experience.
I thank God for your life that you were able to repress some of the experience other wise Anini's scenarios in the 80s would be a child's play.

REPRESS?? I hope people are not repressing feelings and emotions here. repression is never a good thing, dealing with the issues and finding peace and moving forward is key. But of course a lot of Nigerians don't believe in therapy.

mothersjoy:

The question for us now that are parents is are you a loving parent, what do you do that makes your children know you love them, do you help to develop your child's reasoning skills or are you teaching them to be oppressive to those younger than them, are you a do what i say parents or do what I do i.e is your life exemplary, when you discipline them do you tell  them what they have done wrong or do you know what they have done wrong, now that you are an adult do you know the difference between discipline and abuse, which are you a disciplinarian or an abuser.

Most parents think because they have had the child he or she owes them the air he or she breaths but i think if most of them think deeply enough they will realise the only person that had a choice as to the bringing of the child into this world is them, they will realise that they owe their children big time cos if children had a choice would they choose you? big question

Very well said! You only hit animals to make them do what you want. Not kids.

ElRazur:



Same here. But guess what, I rebelled and quite rightly so. When most people get their first salary, they sometimes send it home etc. Me, my first salary in the UK, I take am buy a PS1 and 5 games.

The thing Parents never seem to grasp is that Video game helps with concentration, decision making, memory and helps with ability to use your thumbs and fingers well. Also, it takes kids away from the streets and less likely to get involve in shenanigans.

if u said this back then my mum would smash the game console on ur butt,

my mum personally murdered all my game consoles until i entered S.S 2, i only sneaked out to play games,

sometimes with their attitudes they end up forcing us to become F.B.LIES

Really? NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID?(Sexually molesting you, and all that, please google the story of Marcus Wesson, the kids should LOVE such a man? )  What exactly is the definition of turning against ones parent? And emphasis on father. I'm amazed by what a lot of people think and believe in . To each their own

NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID TO YOU,

Malachi 4:6 He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I'll come and put the land under a curse." (amplified Version)

This one am yet to forgive my dad about it. And yeah I plan on reminding him this when next I go home.
I was writting my waec, and I was sick, with malaria
My elder sister is a nurse, so dad gave her money to get some injection for me
And when she was ready to inject me I wasnt ready.I was so scared that she has to be chasing me around the house.
Then she was begging me that pls take this injection, remember you have exams, (I know she is so sweet).
Then popsi just overheard and he came out of his room and was like, "are you guys still on this injection issue, she should be sleeping now"
Being the disciplinarian he thinks he is and as we all fear him, he was trying to scare me to take the injection, but I was too scared of the needle
I think he got angry and went in to get a doubled wire (those black NITEL CABLE), and gbam he started trashing me.
Imagine trashing someone that is sick, Imean serious thrashing.  I should have just feigned faint, when I look back, it still pain me. I see that as wickedness.

omar22:


NO MATTER WHAT THEY DID TO YOU,

Malachi 4:6 He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents. If they refuse, I'll come and put the land under a curse." (amplified Version)

Before I conclude, please can you tell me what turning away from your parents is, does this include loving them unconditionally, even though they have not shown you any love. What standards are these parents held to

omar22. what do you think the preacher is himself a parent eh. did the preacher not tell you to flea from evil, to each his own. Parents need to know there are cause and effect and they are answerable for all the things they do.

I am not talking about the lazy children who want to play games on xbox instead of doing their homework. They need a whooping.

I take god beg una, can we not bring religion into this? It will turn the debate on its head.

It is a bit weird we are expected to not act to what is normal human behaviour because of some book that was written long time. Anyway, I take god beg una lets discuss less of religion in this one.

all these are common malady in the Nigerian homes way back en even now en i tell u guys till d world come to an end, as we de here so de talk ds stories ehhh na so our own children go tell them generation wetin we too do them.

in my home then, boy ehhh popsi na hard man, u dare not look him in d face, there are stipulated rules, u have ur timetable pasted in ur door, some of the rules;

rules 1, No playing
rules 2, no coming back late from school
rules 3, no friends
rules 4, no complaining of less sugar in ur tea abi na akamu too much paper in ur meal or no meat atal in ur food. So many rules, u dare not violate them, as for the time scheduling of activities in and outside the home try the wrong thing at the right time en earn urself a beating dt wil land u in a clinic.
as the first baby now en a girl in a ghetto arh arh, trust d man, he never takes a nonsense not minding how tiny u look his cane is always there d koboko or his belt whicheva is near at the time of ur misbehaviour.

but thank God now, hmmmm make him try me, i go just waka commot sef.

but i tell you, we were trained dt way to become what we are today, then it looks as thou we are been maltreated but NONONO, its LOVE, PURE PARENTAL LOVE, PPL

mydreamz:

This one am yet to forgive my dad about it. And yeah I plan on reminding him this when next I go home.
I was writting my waec, and I was sick, with malaria
My elder sister is a nurse, so dad gave her money to get some injection for me
And when she was ready to inject me I wasnt ready.I was so scared that she has to be chasing me around the house.
Then she was begging me that pls take this injection, remember you have exams, (I know she is so sweet).
Then popsi just overheard and he came out of his room and was like, "are you guys still on this injection issue, she should be sleeping now"
Being the disciplinarian he thinks he is and as we all fear him, he was trying to scare me to take the injection, but I was too scared of the needle
I think he got angry and went in to get a doubled wire (those black NITEL CABLE), and gbam he started trashing me.
Imagine trashing someone that is sick, Imean serious thrashing.  I should have just feigned faint,  when I look back, it still pain me. I see that as wickedness.

That's just CRAZY evil. I really wonder what all these parents were thinking then? Beating a child who's ill and has a fear for needles into submission. Unbelievable. They must have been abused by their own parents too. If anything, this thread is allowing people to share and opens the door to healing, and this vicious and STUPID cycle of believing that a kid has to be beaten will be broken. Hope we can all understand that we are meant to protect our kids, and not oppress them. There is a lot wrong with our society today! I wonder why? So much for charity begins at home.

The homefront seems to be the cruelest place of all. So so so sad!

bblacky:

all these are common malady in the Nigerian homes way back en even now en i tell u guys till d world come to an end, as we de here so de talk ds stories ehhh na so our own children go tell them generation wetin we too do them.

in my home then, boy ehhh popsi na hard man, u dare not look him in d face, there are stipulated rules, u have your timetable pasted in your door, some of the rules;

rules 1, No playing
rules 2, no coming back late from school
rules 3, no friends
rules 4, no complaining of less sugar in your tea abi na akamu too much paper in your meal or no meat atal in your food. So many rules, u dare not violate them, as for the time scheduling of activities in and outside the home try the wrong thing at the right time en earn urself a beating dt wil land u in a clinic.
as the first baby now en a girl in a ghetto arh arh, trust d man, he never takes a nonsense not minding how tiny u look his cane is always there d koboko or his belt whicheva is near at the time of your misbehaviour.

but thank God now, hmmmm make him try me, i go just waka commot sef.




but i tell you, we were trained dt way to become what we are today, then it looks as thou we are been maltreated but NONONO, its LOVE, PURE PARENTAL LOVE, PPL

YOU CALL THAT PARENTAL LOVE?
NO WAY!!!

bblacky:

all these are common malady in the Nigerian homes way back en even now en i tell u guys till d world come to an end, as we de here so de talk ds stories ehhh na so our own children go tell them generation wetin we too do them.

in my home then, boy ehhh popsi na hard man, u dare not look him in d face, there are stipulated rules, u have your timetable pasted in your door, some of the rules;

rules 1, No playing
rules 2, no coming back late from school
rules 3, no friends
rules 4, no complaining of less sugar in your tea abi na akamu too much paper in your meal or no meat atal in your food. So many rules, u dare not violate them, as for the time scheduling of activities in and outside the home try the wrong thing at the right time en earn urself a beating dt wil land u in a clinic.
as the first baby now en a girl in a ghetto arh arh, trust d man, he never takes a nonsense not minding how tiny u look his cane is always there d koboko or his belt whicheva is near at the time of your misbehaviour.

but thank God now, hmmmm make him try me, i go just waka commot sef.

but i tell you, we were trained dt way to become what we are today, then it looks as thou we are been maltreated but NONONO, its LOVE, PURE PARENTAL LOVE, PPL

I doubt you read the posts on this thread! LOVE? I strongly disagree . That's just warped!

My dad that believes (and i think he derives pleasure) so much in whooping children, can no longer beat again.
Imagine a J.s3 student called him balddy, in the school he owns and he could do anything about it.
His excuse: >>>" you know kids of these days, you never know the evil spirit they have in them. They are possed" Am old now I just want to enjoy the my last years in peace" *KMT*

mädchen:

That's just CRAZY evil. I really wonder what all these parents were thinking then? Beating a child who's ill and has a fear for needles into submission. Unbelievable. They must have been abused by their own parents too. If anything, this thread is allowing people to share and opens the door to healing, and this vicious and silly cycle of believing that a kid has to be beaten will be broken. Hope we can all understand that we are meant to protect our kids, and not oppress them. There is a lot wrong with our society today! I wonder why? So much for charity begins at home.

The homefront seems to be the cruelest place of all. So so so sad!

I agree.

In the UK, injections are not allowed on kids, unless absolutely necessary.  

In Scotland, child smacking is illegal. But the rest of England, it is allowed but you should not leave a mark or scare as it amounts to Grievous/Actual bodily harm.


While I am not advocating that we should change and embrace the UK way, I think systemic education will go along way. From my point of view, those sort of treatments are wrong and in most cases counter productive. For instance, it is not uncommon during the time I was growing up to lie because I am worried about the consequence of what will happen to me, and as such, out of fear I tell further lies to hide what I did. This messes up a kid's or young person mentality and judgement at times, and it is common to see this in everyday practice in almost all place in naija.


While I recognised that this thread is not a mouth-piece for most of Nigerians, it sort of make me wonder while courses like Social Work/Child care aint thriving in Naija. (Saw a thread the other day while someone who had a good degree in Social work was unable to find a job) Because clearly, there is a need for social intervention. I will use my case as an example and say, I would have run to such intervention if it were readily available while I was growing up in naija. My two cents.

My mum was the disciplinarian in the house!!

Growing up we were only three of us, with me being the only boy then. MY Goodness you have no idea how bad I had it! Normally, I thought homes with only one male kid use to over-pamper that son but not in my case.

As a kid, I loved football. We lived in what you'll call a ghetto back then, where the only form of entertainment for kids my age was street football. The street in question was actually in front of the compounds gate. Cos the standing rule at home was no football for me, I spent most of my younger days peering through the gate at other kids playing on the street while I was crouched behind the gate watching them play whilst spying out for my mum returning from work or wherever she went!

One day, Just after she left, I ran outside to get some playing time, unfortunately for me, it wasnt my age group that was playing that day, it was grown ups. They picked me to even up one team so I was trying to impress! I attacked this dude who had the ball and without regard for the fact that I was just a kid, he kicked and injured me! I limped home, and went to bed early!! My mum found out and whooped me really good, despite the fact that I was already hurting!!

On another occasion, I have forgotten what I did wrong but my mum whooped me so bad! Her weapon of choice included but wasnt limited to Canes, Belts, electrical cable (this she had in her room at all times), ruler, Pestle (for mortar), e.t.c. On this particular day, she beat me so bad that I ran out of her room. Just when I thought it was over I instinctively turned to see if she was coming behind me, and what I saw was a bottle!!   YES!! A bottle flying directly at me!! My own mum had opened the fridge and was hauling bottles (Glass Bottles) at me!! I barely ducked just in time to avoid being hit!! She smashed several bottles that day!!

One time, she lost 2000 Naira and accused me of stealing her money! I know I did steal their money atimes but I never exceeded 20Naira cos all i did with the money was to suppliment the 15Naira which I was given as both transport and pocket money. I swore with everything I could think of that I didnt stteal her money to no avail. This was early in the morning about 6:30 am on a school day! I was fully dressed for school and was only waiting on my dad to come drive me to the bus-stop. My mum ransacked my bag in search of this money and when she couldnt find it, out came the electric wire!! She flogged me so bad and all attempts to stop her by my dad and other fell on deaf ears. Well my dad ignored her and proceeded to take my younger ones to school, only to open the car and LO!! the money was on the floor of the drivers seat!! She had driven the car the previous day and the money must have fallen there and she had no idea!! There was no apology at all, she said "it was because I had been stealing her money in the past"!!    

My grandma (My dads ma) has been flogged severally whilst tryin to protect me from my mum's rage!! Later she even started tying me down to flog me! She would say things like "I will kill you, bury you in the suck-away at the backyard, and when people ask about you, I will tell em you are abroad" and things like "I will kill you before you inherit anything from your father or me" and I was barely 13 or 14 years old then. This werent aunties or distant relatives o!! MY OWN MOTHER!! I even started doubting if she was my mum!! My dad would just sit there and act like he was blind to whatever was happening! If God really did answer prayers, my mum would be dead by now!! What made it worse was I cant remember a single day when any of my sisters was ever flogged!! the most they got was a slap!!

But!! Right now, I dont think I am closer to anyone in my life like I am to my mum!! I guess that was the best way she could think of raising me!! It wasnt pretty, but it did produce a fine, resilient, strong, educated young man!! Now we sit back think of those days and laugh about them!! She never did appologise for any of those things till date!!

I will keep bringing you more tales from the childhood of OKIJA_JUJU

I PRAY TO BE A BETTER PARENT TO MY KIDS, cos i hate the pain i took from my childhood

but guys things change lmao, even as am under my parents, dem no fit raise belt or cane again, or else i go sue dem go court ROTFLMAO

mydreamz:

My dad that believes (and i think he derives pleasure) so much in whooping children, can no longer beat again.
Imagine a J.s3 student called him balddy, in the school he owns and he could do anything about it.
His excuse: >>>" you know kids of these days, you never know the evil spirit they have in them. They are possed" Am old now I just want to enjoy the my last years in peace" *KMT*

Like you never called anyone names while you were growing up? You know, kids will be kids. While it may be wrong, we need to strike a balance between letting kids be kids etc. You dad did the right thing in my opinion. Instead of beating, detention etc works better.

I STILL IMAGINE, AFTER ALL THESE ORDEALS I STILL LOVE THEM WITH MY LIFE

yeah i know

I can count the number of times my dad whooped me he will usually punish you by asking you to stool down and if he has cause to beat you then even you know that you will whoop you for what siliness you have done.

In Nigeria, jealousy and bad belle plenty so that parents need to protect their children from evil and some are so wicked they will kill or make you unwell out of their jealousy. There are also the extended family who want what is not their so i can understand why parents would really get mad when their children go against stuff they might have told them for their protection accepted that some might be quite superstitious and way over the top at least you knew they did this cos they did not want harm to come to you.