Rocking The Boat Together
Just when I was thinking about what to write on today I couldn't be more excited when babe sent me a video as we were talking earlier in the day. I laughed so much that tears almost began to fall out my eyes. I spent another 30mins ananilysing the video with bae and we both concluded one thing, that the child was in for some serious whooping. Right now in my country, they would say in pidgin that she will collect wotowoto..😁
The video depicted the father on a couch with his laptop and the mom telling their daughter to bring her chair. But the child replied with a "f**k you bitch instead". The response from both parents was so funny and so swift too. It was funny to me cos if it were me, I would have done same.
This video got me thinking about how most homes these days are falling apart because either none of the parents have the time to discipline their kids or one party is a strict disciplinarian while the other defends the kids and is always ready to start a war when the kids are being punished, whether wrong or not.
We have heard of the phrase two captains in one boat and we all know that it doesn't end well. Because it is said that there shouldn't be two captains in one boat else they would both sink.
I like to think that having two captains in a boat is not the problem but the fact that these two captains have divided the ship into two and want to each rule at their own terms. Anyone who goes into marriage with this mindset has already really defiled the purpose of marriage right from the beginning because marriage is an institution that brings two different individuals with different ideologies and binds then together to become one.
I really am not here today to talk about the institution called marriage but I want to dwell on how so many parents have failed in the discipline aspect of their kids.
Just like I explained form the video I saw, the child used a word that the parents considered unacceptable and they both got rilled up at the same time and were going to give her a piece of their mind and a piece of their wrath too.
I could see the unity in both parents and the fact that they were the "take no nonsense type" was written all over the way they were eager to execute that justice and I just couldn't see why such a child would grow and be deficient in character.
Most of the families today are not like that. Mom is offended by what a child does and wants to punish the child but he or she runs to dad and the man immediately tells his wife to leave their child alone. He hasn't even asked what happened but because he is tired and needs the peace he just wants to shrug it all aside. When the woman picks offence at that, it becomes a fight of the adults and the child walks away unscathed singing the victory song in his head.
As novel like and fictitious as that analogy may sound, it really does happen and it is exasperating to even imagine.
There are even worse case scenarios where the parents start to fight and the house becomes divided with the girls with mummy and the boys in daddy's corner. I mean what are these parents teaching their kids, that it is okay for a home to become two teams fighting to win?
Just writing about this is boiling my blood cos I know I won't take such nonsense. A child should come to the understanding that mummy and daddy are one and that running away from mummy while being flogged to daddy will only worsen the situation. Kids will not understand this If they can sense parents disagree over every little thing.
What's even worse is that most parents fight in front of their kids. We all know that fighting is inevitable but it can be controlled. A united front should be presented to children at all times, else the consequences will be too harsh in the future.
Nigerians are blessed people that like to copy things from the western world. Hence they have also copied the no flogging rule too. Which is why you see alot of kids these days talk to adults the way they like and feel like nothing will happen, highest is a scolding and they will apologize.
I still remember how I was flogged in the middle of the night and I wouldn't dare shout and wake up the neighbours. Infact that was my mom's speciality. She would wake me up from sleep and flog me well, after which I would get a lecture for hours. When I dose off I will get another stroke that will drive sleep off my eyes for another hour. All of those flogging and lectures shaped me into the woman I am today and when I remember them, going astray is not an option.
I guess the need for urbanization and adopting modern day rules and standards have shortchanged us and yet we think it's doing us more good. It's high time we went back to our roots cos life was better off then than now.
Author's Epilogue
The strokes, punishment and lectures I received are so legendary that I think I will pass them onward to my generation.
If you're a Nigerian in this platform then I'm sure you have a story to share on how you were punished. Feel free to drop it in the comment section.
Thanks for reading champ..
Mhizutty the voice of truth 🎵🎶🎵
I have seen the video too and though, it was funny, the child deserves to be beaten and talked some sense before she grows up. Like where did she hear such a word from? She needs to be thoroughly dealt with and this can be done by both parents when they unite together to discipline a child.
When I was growing up too, Dad would flog us like something else and after that, would call us and ask why did we think he beat us and when we say it, he would draw us closer and warn us never to repeat such. That discipline made us who we are today and I thank both of them.