I grew up with the belief that you never talk back to your folks, or elders even when they're wrong. Nigerian upbringing coerces a compulsory respect for elders regardless of whether they deserve it, and it is wrong.

But it's not just them, society does the same. There's a 'if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything' quote and a handful where that came from. Society for so long has tried to stifle us, don't say anything if the truth or honesty will hurt, don't say this, you should have said it like that... the agony of it all.

For a world that tells us to be ourselves but then in the same breath turns around to try to influence our thoughts and shape us into what we're not, it's hard to deal with it and I believe it's one of the many reasons a lot of us suffer from Mental Health issues.

Truth is, we all have things we wish we've never said, but the ratio of that against the regret for the things we should have said and done doesn't even begin to compare.

We should talk back.

Things will be relatively better, less tense and our minds won't be clogged with regrets and wishes, but free to explore other possibilities when what should have been said is said, and should have been done is done.

I cannot begin to explain the toil it took to stomach all the careless words parent and elders spew at me, it takes a while to work past those issues, and it dampens the soul and sometimes crumbles your will. Why do parents get to say all kinds of nasty things to their children and feel alright with it, but when we speak up, we are rude? Isn't it disproportionate?

I do not know about the rest of the world, but for Nigerian parents, things need to change. You cannot continue to verbally abuse your children and not understand that it plays a lot into how they turn out. Mental health is very important and a lot of us are broken because of the words we've had to sit there and take because we did not want to offend our elders.

Talking back is not wrong. If what is being said doesn't sit well with you, regardless of who it is, say what you need to say. Do not fight it, talk back!

This is where I leave you: Things need to change. We need to start talking back.