The Kaya 959 family shares the hilarious, confusing, and all-too-relatable parenting contradictions they grew up with.
By Bulelwa Hoala
We’ve all witnessed our parents allowing our children to do the same things that would have landed us in serious trouble when we were kids.
While this fairly common experience can be hilarious to watch, it can also feel mildly traumatising.
Back then, questioning the rules was almost impossible. You simply listened, obeyed, or risked punishment and a serious hiding.
Now, as adults, many people are looking back and realising just how many parenting double standards existed in their homes.
On a recent episode of Feel Good with Andy Maqondwana, the Kaya 959 family discussed the parenting double standards that simply make no sense.
Eat Your Veggies
One of the most relatable examples was the sudden disappearance of strict dietary rules.
One caller shared the irony of being forced to eat every vegetable on her plate as a child, only to watch her mother now allow the grandchildren to be as picky as they like. Whether it is pumpkin, spinach or green beans, today’s grandchildren seem to have options that previous generations never had.
As the caller jokingly put it, was it a genuine change of heart or simply “ubumenemene” (hypocrisy)?
We’re Going To The Doctor
Then there is the medical double standard.
Andy and the Feel Good tribe reminisced about being rushed to the doctor for giant injections at the slightest sniffle. Yet when the roles are reversed, and Mom or Dad is feeling unwell, suddenly home remedies and “sleeping it off” become the preferred treatment.
Keep Quiet
The conversation also touched on discipline in many African households.
One caller pointed out the impossible situation many children faced during punishment. If you cried while being beaten, you were told to stop crying. But if you stayed quiet, you were accused of being disrespectful.
The discussion sparked laughter and nostalgia as listeners reflected on the confusing contradictions many children grew up experiencing at home.
What parenting double standards did you grow up with?
Listen to the full conversation on the podcast:
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