Stella Dimoko Korkus.com: Dr Freaks Journal - First Lesson In Honesty

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Thursday, July 22, 2021

Dr Freaks Journal - First Lesson In Honesty

"No legacy is so rich as honesty" -William Shakespeare.








Growing up, we (cousins, siblings and I) were raised in a mini "prison" because we were only allowed to go to school on school days, and church on Sundays.
Yea, lest I forget, I was allowed to go for "choir practice" on Saturdays and I think on Wednesdays. However, there was a particular destination my father never said no to! His father's house. We had an unrestricted access to Grandpa's house at the time under reference.


How we looked forward to that short but memorable trek to "Aba" (Ekiti word for father or one who is old enough to be one's father) L's place (L... was his chieftaincy title). 


The distance was slightly over a kilometre or less but who cares now, there were houses everywhere and the "excursion/trip" afforded us the rare privilege of taking a break from that mini "prison".


Grandpa was a carpenter, a farmer, an entrepreneur, a socialite, a great dancer, a drummer, a native court judge, to mention but a few, in his hey days.
He gave politics a shot but I think the 1966 "Operation Wet-i-e" gave him a good scare to the extent that he was compelled to abdicate his "throne" and five (5) wives and seek refuge in my parents' home for some months. This is a story for another day.


In the twilight of Grandpa's life, he set up a local "supermarket' (in partnership)  with his 5th and last wife, his beloved "EA". Grandpa stocked almost everything under the sun, but of particular interest is the confectionery section. If my memory serves me right, I cannot remember ever eating anything at Grandpa's place because we were raised never to eat outside our home and I still observe that unwritten rule till date. 



After our usually short visits which we made not out of excitement to reunite with Grandpa, but driven by the desire to get out of the house, Grandpa who was in his late 90's at the time would order all of us to gather around his table (where he forever kept his broom that was dedicated to housefly hunting) for a routine check. He would ask all of us to open our hands (so that our palms may be exposed) and empty our pockets, just to be sure that we had not "made away" with his sweets and biscuits.


To say the least, as young as we were at the time, we found Grandpa's act a bit embarrassing because we were not thieves. After all, our parents could afford to buy us sweets as one was going for a paltry sum of 1Kobo at the time. Each time we went through that humiliation, we would go home to register our protestations with our Mum. For strange reasons, my Mum never condemned Grandpa's acts.


 She would simply advise us to keep on being without blemish whenever we visited. For stranger reasons, I later gathered that she never escalated our "kitchen talks" to my Dad who would have confronted Grandpa at the time on the ground that he was accusing his children falsely. Thank God she never did. That man -Dad was indeed a "terror"!


Today, Grandpa, Dad and Mum have gone to be with the Lord, but that lesson is still fresh in my memory.

If I may ask, what values and ethos exactly are you instilling into your children and wards today?

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." -Galatians 6:7-9.

Its Kunle

25 comments:

  1. Nice one sir! Truth be told honesty is rare these days and parents are not helping matters, they aid in promoting vices in their children.

    Two years ago, I was at a neighbour's house and they were talking to me about how they were connected to a certain "mumu" whose hotspot was not on password. I kept echoing to the mother and teenagers how it was bad to do that, but they saw nothing wrong in what they were doing and insisted the person was a 'mumu.' Unknown to me after using the xender app, it removed my password and I didn't check. While all this was going on, something just said check your phone. These people had been connected to my phone for two good days and calling me a mumu without my knowledge. Even when they realized it was mine, they never apologized but were begging for me to leave it on a little longer.

    One thing I was happy about was I never supported what they did and even though they kept telling me to connect to the 'mumu' I stood my ground and said no! Parents need to do better in how they train their children. The lapses in how children are trained these days is glaring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where do you stay?
      I have similar experience.
      A foolish mother and her useless children including jobless ones around.
      They think that I'm 'mumu' not knowing my phone gives all the details.
      If I wanted to take it serious ,I will involve police to know who is 'mumu'.
      Sometimes you act like a fool to catch the foolish ones.

      Delete
    2. When you have bad parents and how do you expect children to behave?

      Delete
    3. The youths did an illegal connection in my compound behind my back. Nepa/phcn came and saw only me as only legal working class to pay, they kept explaining to me bcos i was vey confused. They had pity, then told me what the fine will be if they come and see it again. The young men saw me floustered but acted like they didnt do anything, like i can climb multiple roofs and do such complex electrical work.

      its very very annoying

      Delete
    4. @ anon: 17:38
      How do landlords allow such people to be staying in their houses?
      As in you don't care what your tenants do for a living.

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ABA Lisa, Eye E... What part of Ekiti is Kunle from? Ado or Ikere? Lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha maybe very close to the 2. Let me go and ask him. Lol

      Delete
    2. I always have this thought that Pa Johnson is Mr Kunle 😃🤗

      Delete
  4. May God help me to train my children rightly, and may they obey, in Jesus Name.

    ReplyDelete

  5. "She would simply advise us to keep on being without blemish whenever we visited"....Noted!

    Nice one .
    your writing is interesting.
    Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Another interesting piece as always.
    Thanks Kunle, as you keep it coming.
    It is indeed rear to come across honest people lately.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Keep it coming. Interesting and educational memories.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Growing up we were trained to be contented with whatever we have.
    When we only had a TV set and didn't have VCD to watch videos we never went to neighbour's house to watch (not like my father couldn't afford it, he felt it would distract us, my father was an extremist,even the TV, he so monitored our watching time) although as kids we thought we couldn't afford it.
    This and some other stuffs he felt wasn't important he didn't get for us as kids, and we always maintained and never went wondering away to neighbours places in search of such things.
    Till today I find it difficult asking /begging people around me for stuffs I can do without. Even the important stuffs I try as much as possible to get myself and ask for the ones I just can't find a way out. This upbringing made me be someone who values my space & privacy a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 👍👍. Train up a child in the way he/she should grow and that child by God's grace won't depart from such upbringing.

    Lovelace

    ReplyDelete
  10. 👍👍. Train up a child in the way he/she should grow and that child by God's grace won't depart from such upbringing.

    Lovelace

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The woman I described up there had it been those her teenage children are girls she will push them into prostitution .Very shameless woman.

      Delete
  11. Lol...very interesting read..may grandpa ,your dad n mum souls continue to rest in peace. Most children are denied all these adventures these days,and its sad

    ReplyDelete
  12. Interesting, modern day parents should also learn to communicate with their kids in all directions because this lack of communication eeehhh don make children dey detached from parents especially mothers. May the Lord help us future mothers

    ReplyDelete
  13. Honesty is the best policy, that was my father's slang when I was growing up. I thank God for such upbringing.some of the parents today don't train their children in the fear of God and that is why some youths are misbehaving.Good write up.

    ReplyDelete

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