The saying that my friend A told me was, “Hard ears don’t hear, hard ears does feel”. She said that hard ears refer to someone who is stubborn, as in when you tell someone to do something, they will not do it and vice versa. But they will only learn not to do that thing after doing it and finding out the hard way why they shouldn’t do it. This saying is often used in regards to children i.e. parents to their children.

This saying came from A’s mother who is from Barbados. Based off the background that she gave me, Basian culture is very traditional when it comes to children. The lives and role of children is supposed to be very structured and ordered especially as it comes to discipline. So when a kid is told not to do something and then it doesn’t work out for them this is almost a confirmation of the need for that discipline.