Fish falling from the sky.

Growing up in a black community is challenging. Parents do not communicate to their children and tell them the reality of life. Children grow up with false knowledge of what life is. When a mother falls pregnant, she does not tell you as her child about her pregnancy. You are told that babies come from aeroplanes or bought from Edgars. As a child you see your mother getting 'fatter' and her tummy growing bigger, but no-one communicates with you what is going on. You see your mother eating fruit and all of a sudden she has special needs.

In our communities, our mothers didn't have baby showers so there no way of knowing that a baby was on the way. It was also bad luck to buy baby clothes before the baby was born. It was a secret when a woman was pregnant and she could not tell other people how far she was with her pregnancy. No-one told you when your mother went to hospital to give birth, you just saw her coming home with a baby. When the baby arrives your lives change forever. No-one is allowed to see the baby for at least a month. When visitors came they took their hands and put them under their armpits and feet, then put their hands on the baby's nose. This is said to be done to protect the child from evil spirits. Children are said to sense evil spirits easily.

The baby is not allowed outside the house until she is three months old. All these were superstitions to protect the baby. Now that I'm grown I realise it's all a big, fat lie. It always seemed so bizarre and it was like fish falling from the sky.