As Arabs, we all share something in common: hearing questionable yet hilarious nuggets of wisdom from our dear old moms during our childhood. These life lessons are unlike any other you’ll encounter, as they have this fantasy and storytelling element to them.
As naive kids, we gobbled up those stories as sheer fact until, one day, someone revealed the harsh truth: they’re all stories, and none are real. With that said, let’s uncover the most hilarious life lessons heard throughout our childhood.
Eating The Seed Makes Fruit Grow In Your Tummy
Get ready because this one is a real treat. It’s summer; you’re minding your own business, biting into a juicy watermelon, and then bam! Out of nowhere, your mom screams at you not to dare swallow the seeds. Why? Because a baby watermelon will grow in that tummy of yours. Yikes!
Beware Of El Shamama & Omena El Ghoula
When we were kids, we loved our fantasy stories, but unfortunately, our moms liked to make up some of their own for their own sneaky reasons.
At some point, you must have heard of the Easter fairy, Shamama, or the scary Omena El Ghoula. These characters terrified us and were used by our dear moms to scare us from doing certain things.
Food Will Chase You In The Afterlife
Food life lessons seem to be a crowd favorite among our moms, so here’s another one: When we were kids, our appetites weren’t that great, and a lot of us were very picky, but our mamas definitely weren’t having it.
That’s when they’d resort to telling you that if you don’t finish your food, it’ll chase you in the afterlife.
The Kids Police (Police El Atfal)
“Law and order” is important in all societies, but for some reason, it also made its way into our childhood homes.
As kids, we can be stubborn and not listen to our parents, and when we reach that point, our moms sometimes have to rely on a higher power. Cue the “I will call the ‘kids police’ to come take you” card. Yeah, it gets that intense.
The Doctor & The Injection
Mamas don’t just depend on the “kids police”; they also have another trick up their sleeve. Cue the kid doctor, the one they say they’ll call to give you an injection if you don’t listen to them. Now you know where that fear of injections comes from.
Too Much TV, Lose Eyesight
Moms believe that they have all the world’s knowledge at their fingertips and that they can beat out any scientist, doctor, or expert out there. So, if they tell you that watching too much TV will make you lose your eyesight, even without scientific proof, you must heed their command my friend.
AC Equals A Cold
Once again, our mamas believe they’re scientists, and that’s when they tell you their special piece of wisdom: that an AC gets you cold, even if the true culprit is bacteria. If you’re brave enough, try to question her knowledge, but trust us, it won’t be pretty.
Wear Your Undergarments Inside Out
This one is a real doozy, and that’s why we knew we had to mention it. Some moms insist that you wear your undergarments inside out. Why? We literally have no idea, but some assume it’s so the lining of the garment doesn’t scratch your skin. Honestly, it’s a mystery what Arab moms want.
Honorable Mention: Things That Teach Us Nothing, But We Still Love Her For It
Saying ‘Allah Akbar’ Loudly During Prayer
Let’s go through another scenario. You’re walking around the house, again minding your own business while your mom prays, and then out of nowhere, she says “Allah Akbar” very loudly, then again, very loudly.
She’d do it several times. Why? because she’s commanding you to do something without having to leave the prayer. It could be anything from closing the lights to washing the toilet. You need to be smart enough to pick up on it.
The Dreaded Shib Shib
In video games, every character has a weapon of choice. When it comes to our mamas, it’s the dreaded shib shib (flip flops). The moment our mom’s hand slowly slides down toward her feet, you know you’re in trouble. It’s the most dreaded life lesson of all.
We think we’ve covered most of our moms’ special life lessons.
We hope this collection gives you a good laugh and a bout of nostalgia for those good old days with your dear old moms.