Getting rid of the Corporal punishment of children.

In my parents and grandparents' generation, corporal punishment was not only inflicted in the homes, but also in the schools, and the communities at large. Most will tell you that it was not only the punishment, but also the fear of punishment that set them on the straight and narrow. While reminiscing about their childhood, it is an area that they discuss with fond memories. Telling Tolu over and over to go to his room because he is rude and disrespectful simply won't cut it in today's Nigeria and the World at large. In the past, if a child gave trouble outside of the home, they would be spanked by neighbours, and it would be double-trouble if the parents hear about it.

Yet, back in the day, violent crime was almost unheard of. Today, parents are involved with their children by 'remote-control', with the child being left-up to 'granny', or worse yet: the unsupervised television, or Internet usage; or, lewd/suggestive music/videos and culture. Not to forget that, today's children are having children, and there is a modern-day culture where people shamelessly reproduce out-of-wedlock. Paternity is now dependent on DNA-testing, not established relationships.

Corporal punishment of children has been common among all cultures and races throughout human history, even among we blacks from Africa. When one grows up in any large cosmopolitan city with people from all over the world, he or she is immediately made aware that this is so, through discussion or otherwise.

There exists a strange phenomenon among some people in poor countries, to imitate and adopt certain customs of developed nations, no matter how unreasonable they are or contrary to common sense. This due no doubt to an inferiority complex and desperation for acceptance, deceiving themselves into thinking this gives them an air of sophistication. The West, we are trying to imitate, especially the US is no model for the disciplining of children; more an example of the most disrespectful, ill-mannered and violent. Enough juvenile murderers and mass school shootings to make the point.

There is a modern fallacy among poor countries, no doubt bred out of desperation and inferiority complex, that whatever the approach and practices are of developed countries, no matter how strange and contrary to reason and common sense, they have to imitate them in order to achieve economic success, as if such practices were part of what was responsible for those countries economic success. Instead of becoming drunk on success. Simple guidelines on discipline may be enough to suffice. As in all things, moderation. Even moderation need moderationing. A generation without some sort of corporal punishment for children will be a generation with MAJOR problems. Ask Dr. Spock. Good to always move from extreme to moderate but not so far as to lose the mind.

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Family & Home