Parents weren't given any manuals on how to discipline their offspring; some implemented the methods their parents used on them while others adapted new methods from those around them.
Just yesterday something happened in church "Don't be scared" There is this boy everyone admires in the church because of his upbringing and how he speaks, he has this soft voice that you won't be able to hear what his saying till you get very close to him then bend down and put your ears close to his mouth "now you are good to go".
So yesterday, his mother called him and cautioned him to stop running; you know, children and how they would be running around when they see their peers running, so when his mum called him, he went to her, and she was like, "Stop running," he said yes. Within the twinkle of an eye, he has run off to his friends again. Then another person called him and gave him some words of advice on why he needed to stop running around. He sat down on the chair looking at the woman as she spoke.
After the session was over, he went to his mother and apologized; immediately after the apology, "Oga has run off again," Now that's children for you. There is a stage in the life of a child that no matter how you discipline or caution them to deviate from a thing, you'd find them going back to doing that thing. That is why I always say that being a parent isn't for the faint-hearted; being a parent requires a lot from you.
The first thing it requires is "Patience" If you aren't patient with them, you'll find yourself having thoughts of throwing them out of the house if they weren't yours, but because they are yours, there is nothing you can do at that moment of provocation.
Children will always default, just that it will be limited. That is why most parents change their methods of discipline every time. Imagine you are walking past a neighborhood, and you see the woman who hasn't raised her hands on her child before doing the violent method of disciplining; at that moment, you'd be surprised and be like, "This child might have done something that words can't correct."
I grew up in a home where words were the only accepted means of discipline but there are times when the defaulting will grow beyond words. Then the rod method would be applied.
Talking about me, I told myself I'm not gonna use the violent method of discipline with my children. "Yeah!" But some children will push you to the edge that you won't want to do than to use the violent method. Another thing I'm gonna do when I become a parent is to give them punishment around the house. "That works something'' I'm gonna tell them to sit on the air for some minutes, and when the time has elapsed, I'm gonna welcome them back into my arms like nothing happened.
One thing I've come to understand is the fact that all children aren't the same; disciplinary methods work differently for different children; as a parent, I'm gonna learn and understand the particular disciplinary methods that works best for my children and apply them smoothly.
Thanks for reading 🧡
