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Don’t be the “black sheep”

Jun 20, 2008 Features / Columnists

The Parrot recalls childhood days when Mother Parrot used to scrub and clean my other siblings and me at a standpipe in the yard in an effort to ensure that we “sparkle”.

This didn’t happen only at Christmas time and at the beginning of a new school term, but anytime when guests were about to visit our humble place of abode.

The scrubbing and cleaning wasn’t just confined to us, but to the house and its surroundings. It was more intense if a “nosy” Aunt or Mom’s in-laws were “dropping by”. Mom ensured this was so since she didn’t want to be “ridiculed” for not taking proper care of us.

Of course some “nosy” relatives, even if proper care is taken, would still find other “avenues” to “channel” their ridicule.

This may be effectively captured in the character of Raymond’s Mom in the television sitcom “Everybody loves Raymond”. Anyway, back to Mom’s scrubbing.

She felt that taking extra care (translated into extra scrubbing) of us at times when she thought her overall efforts would be scrutinized would help to reduce or even prevent any adverse comments being directed at her.

Even if she was subjected to unfair derisions, Mom, out of respect for her guests, kept quiet and found solace in the fact that she did her best, given her circumstances and resources.

Like many families, there are members who may be called different names, including “black sheep”, “outcast”, “bad-name child” etc, specifically in this context, a sibling who couldn’t care less for the scrubbing and cleaning and would resist all efforts to make a good impression.

This caused added “pressure” on Mom since my younger brother was guilty of this. This forced her on occasions to be much firmer in ensuring that her motherly chores were fully executed.

My brother, while not being happy with this at times, was in the “line-up” when the guests arrived even whilst “wearing” a frown. If, and there were a few times, she was unable to “sanitize” him for the occasion, she would offer the most convincing excuses to the guests in which she would blame herself for my brother’s delinquencies.

I must admit now that I am grown and have my own young Parrots, I may not have fully understood, then, all the nuances for her dedicated efforts in scrubbing us when we were on “show”.

Of course, I do now, and I am sure that I speak for all my other siblings, including my brother who profusely apologized to Mom on becoming more matured.

Having said all of this, it is fair to say that, given the way we were all brought up in the “good old days”, it was imperative that regardless of who the guest was, we had to look and be our best. Today, a wedding or any other function that requires guests visiting entails some of what I alluded to.

In reminiscing, I make these points in the context that Carifesta X is fast approaching and the attempts to sabotage it. I would like to remind ourselves, especially those who like my brother don’t want to be in the “line-up”, not to be the “black sheep” or the “outcast” or the “bad-name child”.

After all, we and our “house”, Guyana, would be on show for a number of guests, some of whom may be “nosy”. We need to sparkle. Squawk! Squawk!

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