I was born into a Christian family to parents with the parenting motto that was a springboard from the Biblical scripture that says, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”. This scripture is a parenting 101 tip with worldwide relevance, even today. I personally believe in children being disciplined, but where do we draw the line?
Months ago, there was an uproar on social media over a video that showed a young boy being beaten by an older lady with a stick and locked up in the dog’s cage, afterwards. The video which prompted the lady’s arrest yielded more dreadful information. Digging deeper, the boy who had sustained several bodily injuries from previous beating was said to be the lady’s nephew. Clearly, this is a case of child abuse – even a stoic individual would attest to this.
But let’s look at a less dramatic instance. Recently while looking out of the window observing the view, I noticed a mother slapping her son on the head as she insisted he’s an idiot (she said this multiple times so my guess is she was trying to drive idiocy into his head by any means possible). The boy complied, but she didn’t stop. Whap! Another hit to the head. By this time the boy who is barely 2-years-old had started crying, provoking her even further. (I don’t think she expected the little boy to cry because the more he cried the harder she hit him as she ordered him to shut up.) Finally, after five minutes of venting out her frustration, she stopped.
“Is this discipline or abuse?” I asked myself.
This behaviour is ubiquitous amongst most parents in Nigeria, almost making it a norm, so I ask again: Is this discipline or abuse? And where should we draw the line?