5 Myths You Wished You Knew Were False as a Child
Childhood brought a lot of joy for many of us. It was the season of endless play, barefoot races across sandy compounds, and laughter echoing into the evening air. We gathered under mango trees for Ten-Ten, Suwe, and Boju-Boju. We listened wide-eyed to folklores about the tortoise and his never-ending greed. Tales by moonlight weren't just stories; they were how we learned about bravery, kindness, and sometimes fear. Our native songs with soft and rhythmic—floated through the nights, stitching our dreams with lessons from the past.
But childhood also came with its fair share of myths. Stories so powerful, they shaped how we saw the world. Looking back, some of these myths make us chuckle. If only we knew then what we know now!
Here are five myths you probably wished you knew were false as a child:
1. If You Swallowed Orange Seeds, A Tree Would Grow In Your Stomach
The fear of accidentally swallowing an orange seed was enough to make you panic. How many of you believed it? You imagined roots sprouting in your belly and branches poking through your ears. Science eventually saved us. In reality, seeds don't grow in the human stomach!
2. Whistling At Night Attracts Evil Spirits
How many times did you clamp your mouth shut the minute you remembered this warning? Turns out, whistling at night only attracts mosquitoes or your neighbour shouting at you to keep quiet.
3. If You Lost a Tooth and Didn't Throw It on the Roof, it wouldn't grow back
Losing a tooth was a whole ritual. You had to throw the fallen tooth over the roof and say a prayer. Otherwise, you'll end up toothless as an adult. Thankfully, new teeth always found their way, roof or no roof. But interestingly, it was an experience we all looked out for as a kids, throwing them countless tines before they stuck to the roof top.
4. If You Touched a Boy, You Would Become Pregnant
For many girls, the first talk after their menstrual cycle was filled with warnings, and this one topped the list. Mothers, determined to protect their daughters from early pregnancies, cooked up this myth to scare them into avoiding boys altogether. The fear was so real that some girls didn’t even sit beside boys! It was a trick wrapped in love, but it made growing up very confusing.
5. If You Played in the Rain, You Would Grow Hunchbacked
Playing under the rain was pure joy, but the threat of becoming hunchbacked hung over our heads. As adults, we now know that dancing in the rain only leads to wet clothes, cold not bent backs.
Read more: Why Are We All Suddenly 'Tired'?
Growing up in Nigeria was a beautiful cocktail of joy, fear, and curiosity. Today, those memories are nostalgic And even though many of these myths have been debunked, they remain sweet, funny memories of a time when wonder ruled our world.
