Instilling Discipline in a child, How it is done in my locality?

Hello everyone, welcome to my blog. Today's post will be based on @steemkids contest topic to write about how kids are disciplined in my locality.

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Discipline is an action carried out to teach your child the importance of carrying out certain responsibilities and self-control. It is also a way to teach your child that every action one takes has its consequences, good or bad. A child should be able to tell that going ahead to do certain things will have consequences for their parents to discipline them.

Discipling a child is teaching your child the right behavior and habits to imbibe. For every stage of a child’s growth, there are different forms of discipline carried out. It is not the same form of discipline given to a 10-year-old that will be given to a 3-year-old child.

Nigeria unlike most western culture they adopted still clings to the method of disciplining a child which is the traditional style or old school method which is what parents in my locality still uses to raise their children. This is a style that our forefathers used to raise their children. It includes the use of tough love tactics to get your message across, instilling fear which most parents still do today, and giving certain chores to the child to do when they err.

In my locality, most parents took the biblical sayings, “spare the rod and spoil the child" literally. So, they carry out their discipline in the form of beating with shoes, belts, thick cain (koboko), and broomsticks all in the name of discipline.

• The need to raise your child in an acceptable manner.

• Frustration sometimes leads to a parent disciplining their child. Due to the frustration at the economy that does not make things easy for anyone, and the parents are doing their best to ensure that they provide for their kids. Some come back home and instead of being greeted with something good that happened at home, they are faced with the consequences their child’s action will cause. With such things happening, they will transfer all the anger toward the child, allowing their anger to direct how they discipline their child.

With the kind of discipline measure carried out which is usually harsh to the child is carried out, it leaves the child with a feeling of hatred towards their parents. Other reactions include fear, low self-esteem, and depression towards their parents and society.

One harsh treatment I have seen in my locality is where a boy forgot to carry out the chores given to him by his mother, she came back, angry at the work not being done and, in the anger, rubbed grounded pepper on her cain and gave the boy the beating of his life. It was due to the intervention of the neighbors that she didn’t leave more marks on his body.

Now, tell me, with this kind of beating given to the boy in the name of will be taken lightly by the boy because it will forever be a bad experience. This kind of treatment will make the child hate the parent, causing fear and a lack of communication between the parents and their children.

While kids are definitely not going to be happy when discipline is being given, some will feel remorseful for their bad behavior, and the kind of disciplinary measures that will be carried, this will encourage them to be on their best behavior going forward while for some, they will be very angry that it will cause them to even act out the more. It is left to the parents to understand the best approach to discipline their child.

The parents should be able to make it clear to the child that they are not angry at the child but at the child’s behavior. The child must realize that when the parents scold them and discipline them, that it is the behavior they displayed and not at the child directly.

By doing so, the parents are relaying a clear message, if neglected, the child’s self-esteem might take a hit with different feelings of being unloved.

Show your child what is the right thing, don’t just tell them. I love my father for this, he leads by example, he will not just tell you what to do, he will show you practically how to do it.

At every stage of a child’s growth, a parent should bear in that their level of understanding differs, so they should expect a 2-year-old to understand what a 10-year-old should know.

With this, a parent should discipline according to their age in a way they will be able to comprehend that what they did is not good.

Explain to the child what would happen if they should go contrary to the instructions given. But whatever you do, don’t abuse your child

✔It is important because it teaches your child that every action has good and bad consequences.
✔It is important because it keeps them grounded on the things that matter.
✔It is important because it gives a sense of belonging, knowing that their parents are looking after them.

✔The motive for disciplining a child should be more of a means to instill law and order in your child. To teach them what is acceptable and not.

✔To teach them that every choice they make has its own consequences, so they should take precautions.