CHILD DISCIPLINE AND WHAT IT HAS TURNED TO, ITS EFFECTS ON THE CHILD'S LIFE AND THE SOCIETY AT LARGE
"discipline is the guidance of children's moral and physical development enabling children to take responsibility for themselves when they are older"
Holden & Wissow2002
What was supposed to be a guidance and mechanism for strengthening the parent-child relationship and also to create good future leaders has suddenly become a bane to the concept of family and also threatening the society. Child discipline in homes has taken its place in different flavours, one could think of a vanilla flavour with a creamy part and one could also think of the lemon flavour with the sour part, this has been the fate of child's discipline in various homes. While some parents think it is an institution of setting their children on the right path with guidance and monitoring, to give incentives and commendation when right and also to correct when wrong some parents think any form of child's discipline should be beating, spanking and all forms of physical abuse which aids in inculcating the fear of parents into the child.
Child discipline has lost its prestige and now serve as a justification for physical abuse and brutality, some parents even go as far as justifying this act with a bible verse which says " a child's heart has a tendency to do wrong, but the rod of discipline removes it far away from him" Proverbs 22:15 really but does using the rod of discipline according to the bible mean putting pepper into eyes and the private part of a child? A child being abused by his parents if normal wouldn't like them but he shall fear them and what happens when a child is scared of his parents?
Thus inferiority complex, such a child will grow up thinking he is some kind of a charity, thinking he is the bad person and these thought would change a child if he is allowed to grow up with them without the help of specialists. He grew up facing the cruelty of life thinking everyone is as cruel as the one who abused him, his abused life will definitely cloud his judgement making him have trust issues. According to the FBI data banks, depression, lousy childhood and self pity prompt individuals into becoming criminals, serial killers etc. What then do you except from an abused child if not depression.
So what happens when multiple children are being abused and they grow up with depression and self pity which makes them to start thinking crime? Child abuse in the name of discipline is a weed that needs to be uprooted among useful plants for it is no longer a family matter but that of national security. Parents should know when to spare the rod. Whereas child discipline should aid in the physical and emotional development of a child so how does physical development happen when the physique is abused or how does emotional development happen when the feelings are hurt. Child discipline cannot be avoided in homes but it becomes dangerous when its main concept has been washed off and replaced by brutality.