Lo que sí es verdad es que yo nací como todos los niños del mundo. Mis padres solían echarme broma para verme molesta y me decían que la cigüeña se había equivocado conmigo. ¡OMG!, soy la única de tez morena y pelo desgreñadito. De nada le sirvió el peine y el aceite de coco a mi hermana mayor. No logro alisarme el pelo. Creo que eso lo decía mi abuelita Bertita’s para excusarse porque se había enamorado de un trinitario con piel bien oscura.

Aunque no lo crean, algunas veces la cigüeña se equivoca en el camino. Tengo algunos ejemplos; entre ellos, mi tía Eduviges me contaba que tenía un compadre que vendía casabe en el mercado, y cuando ella veía a su hija, decía para sí: “Es que no se parece a nadie de la familia”, Eran originarios de la población de Araya, y las personas de esta zona tienen características físicas muy pronunciadas. Los llaman en Venezuela: “catires pelao”.

Cierto día, llegó a comprar casabe un señor y él le dijo cuando vio a la adolescente que lo acompañaba:

—Yo tengo una hija igualita a su hija. Disculpe si lo ofendo.

El señor le respondió: "Y en mi casa tengo una parecida a su esposa". A lo que ambos se sentaron a conversar. ¿Cómo se llama su esposa? Y él le contestó:

• Margarita Guevara”.

Casualidad de la vida, así se llama mi esposa.

“Margarita Gómez”-

Aunque no lo crean, las niñas fueron cambiadas y habían transcurrido trece años. Una gemela la tenía el señor que vendía casabe. Por equivocación de una enfermera y cosas así, suceden más de lo que ustedes imaginan. Toda la vida la familia había llamado a la niña Elvira: “la cambiada”.

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Grandma Bertita would say, “How times have changed when it comes to childbirth and baby care.” Society has turned upside down; I don't know if for better or worse. However, certain ancestral myths remain ingrained, which some grandmothers still hold on to. Among these is the way to wash diapers and baby clothes. OMG! Disposable diapers have appeared; my favorite brands are Pampers and Huggies. I recommend them, my friends at #Motherhood.
I imagine my grandmother and my mother washing diapers under the hot sun. Yes, you read that right, they had to be exposed to the sun; believe it or not, diapers would get cold if they were washed and hung up in the evening. They would catch what Venezuelans call the “sereno” (night air).
Girls! Washing diapers with poop and pee in the sun. Who would have thought?
In my country, “El sereno” is a crazy thing and has no parallel in human history. It is capable of causing World War III and, if you have an annoying mother-in-law behind you, I think even an interplanetary catastrophe. I associate this directly with newborns because it was said that if the baby “caught the night air,” it would get sick, especially if the fontanelle or “mollerita,” as we Venezuelans say, had not closed.
From birth, children are given a little hat, which is only removed to wash their heads, and mothers lived locked in a room. They did not go anywhere so that the baby would not get sick. There are many stories, anecdotes, and myths about “El sereno.” On this subject, Irvin Ríos published an article on June 27, 2020, on the website heraldodemexico.com.mx, entitled “What is the SERENO of the night and the morning?”, in which he states the following:
“The physical-meteorological phenomenon in which moisture in the air condenses into droplets is known as dew.” For more information, visit aquí
Of all the curiosities and myths, the one that catches my attention the most is storks; my head spins and I can't understand why they associated them with the birth of a child. Or actually, some children were brought by storks. They say it's a legend from many, many years ago and originated in Scandinavia. This bird symbolizes protection and maternal love for this region.
If you would like to learn more about storks, I invite you to read the children's guide entitled “The Legend of the Stork and Babies” by journalist Alba Caraballo Folgado. Here is the link:

“Link”
What is true is that I was born like all children in the world. My parents used to tease me to annoy me and tell me that the stork had made a mistake with me. OMG! I'm the only one with dark skin and messy hair. The comb and coconut oil didn't help my older sister. I can't straighten my hair. I think my grandmother Bertita's said that to excuse herself because she had fallen in love with a Trinidadian man with very dark skin.
Believe it or not, sometimes the stork gets lost on the way. I have a few examples. Among them, my aunt Eduviges told me that she had a friend who sold cassava at the market, and when she saw his daughter, she said to herself, “She doesn't look like anyone in the family.” They were originally from the town of Araya, and people from this area have very pronounced physical characteristics. In Venezuela, they are called “catires pelao.”
One day, a man came to buy cassava bread, and when he saw the teenager accompanying him, he said:
“I have a daughter who looks just like your daughter. I apologize if I offend you.”
The man replied, “And I have one at home who looks just like your wife.” So they sat down to talk. “What's your wife's name?” he asked. And he replied:
“Margarita Guevara.”
As luck would have it, that's my wife's name.
“Margarita Gómez.”
Believe it or not, the girls had been switched at birth, and thirteen years had passed. The man who sold cassava had a twin. Mistakes by nurses and things like that happen more often than you might think. All her life, the family had called the girl Elvira: “the switched one.”