CHILD DISCIPLINE (PART 8)

True Discipline vs. Abuse

In the last part, we saw that when administering discipline to children, consistency is key. Don’t be random, and don’t get tired of administering positive punishment. You can start off by telling the child how many strokes of the cane to expect, and go on to administer just that.

Some people say, “That’s barbaric.” But I say, this so-called barbarism may just save your child’s life.

What is actually barbaric is turning your full hand on a two-year-old child. What’s barbaric is flogging a child all over his body or using implements meant for animals. That’s not discipline—it’s abuse.

START FROM THE BEGINNING: CHILD DISCIPLINE (PART 1)

How Much Punishment is Enough?

People ask, “How much punishment should be enough?” I don’t know. I would say, it depends on the circumstances. I discipline till the lesson is learned, not until I feel satisfied. Remember, discipline must be done with purpose. Parents must be willing to put in the work to train their children.

Kneeling with raised hands for 5 or 10 minutes or 1 to 6 firm strokes of a cane, is better than endless kneeling or unnumbered flogging. This ensures that discipline is effective without being excessive.

For example, a parent will say: “This is the fourth time I’m correcting you for this. If you do it again, I’ll give you six strokes.” That’s not barbaric. That’s measured. It is love expressed through consistent, patient correction.

READ ALSO: LUXURY (PART 1)

How Not To Administer Discipline

Discipline must be done properly:

Not with a thick stick used for cows.
Not with a broom.
Not with something that has multiple tails.
Not out of rage.
Not randomly or excessively.

Many children need to be saved from evil parenting. Similarly, many parents need to be delivered from wrong ideas about discipline.

READ NEXT: CHILD DISCIPLINE (PART 9)

Like Everything Else, Discipline has a Spiritual Dimension

Now, back to my conversation with the young lady [from last week’s episode of Thinking Thursday]. When I explained how I trained my kids to her, she said, “Flogging is not good.” I asked why. She said it was because of what she had seen—abuse, people being beaten excessively, or cruel punishments like tying up children and leaving them tied up for hours.

Many times, these are because the parents have been frustrated to their limits. Some children are incredibly stubborn. And a desperate parent, thinking they’ve tried everything, may resort to brutality just to try and make the child afraid forever.

But here’s what that parent doesn’t realize: sometimes, the issue isn’t just stubbornness—it’s spiritual. Demons are real. A child can have demonic influence. And if you don’t believe that your child can be demonized, then you’re already at a disadvantage, because, honestly, some of those demons came from you.

And here’s the thing: you can’t beat demons out of a child. Yes, a spanking might teach discipline, and sometimes it’s enough to quiet even a demon momentarily. But other times, no matter what you do, the child remains utterly helpless under that influence. They need deliverance and counseling.

There’s no single, one-size-fits-all answer for all cases. But for the ordinary child—without spiritual entanglements—discipline works. You must do it early, consistently, and lovingly.