Childhood Days!
There were a lot of things I did when I was a child that, now as an adult, seem very childish and laughable. We weren't to be blamed, it's the situation, the era, the country we grew up. Let me pick one of them to share.
Growing a Tooth Faster
I think our elders and parents in those days should be held responsible for some of the unrealistic beliefs and solutions they introduced to us. Back when we were very young and still growing and renewing our teeth, we were told that once a tooth was loose and had fallen out, the best way to make it grow faster was to throw it on top of the roof and run around the building multiple times. I was so dedicated to this belief because I experienced pain every time I lost a tooth. To reduce the pain and make the new tooth grow faster, I would do this ritual with absolute faith in the process.
Before I continue, am I the only one who had issues with tooth growth and renewal? I struggled with painful tooth loss, and it remains one of the childhood discomforts I can never forget. It really dealt with me, but thank God I outgrew it.
There was one particular day when it was raining, not heavily, but enough to get me wet. I had just plucked out a tooth that had been shaking for a very long time. The pain I was experiencing was unbearable; I could not even chew food properly. That day, I gathered courage, endured the pain, and pulled the tooth out of my mouth. Surprisingly, not much blood came out, likely because the tooth had already become very loose but refused to fall out on its own.
That evening, while it was raining, I threw the tooth onto the roof, but the rain kept washing it down. Determined, I stood in the rain and kept throwing it multiple times until it finally got stuck in the zinc on top of the roof. Immediately, I began running around the house. My siblings and parents were seated on the corridor, watching me and laughing at my dramatic display, but I was unbothered. I ran around the building about 15 times or so, completely drenched, but I enjoyed it, especially because I believed it would make my tooth grow back quickly. The thought of having to endure pain for a longer period if the tooth did not grow back soon made me even more determined.
Did the tooth grow back as quickly as I intended? That is the question I asked myself while typing this, and I laughed out loud because it seems it did not—or maybe I simply forgot! Lol.
That belief was so strong in us back then. These days, you can hardly find such things in existence. Children today are really lucky not to have gone through all those false beliefs.
Thank You!
This is for the Hive Reachout writing contest. Check the community for the contest announcement and join.