CHILDREN AND CORRECTION

#LIFE MATTERS#
#MATTERSOFLIFE#


 Children&Correction.

Who is a child?
According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary,a child is a boy or girl from the time of birth until he/she is an adult. The United Nations Convention on the right of the child defines a child as human being below the age 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child,majority is attained earlier.In Nigeria,the CYPA,Child and Youth Programme Assistant only defined a child as anyone under the age of 14 years.There are different juvenile legislations in different countries of the world defining who a child is and pegging the age accordingly.Considering the above ,we can conclusively and generally say that a child is anyone below age 18,who is not yet an adult.

Children are the future.However, what goes into those blank minds today tells a lot about what they become eventually tomorrow.I had a brief discussion with a young mum who showed  her displeasure about a particular school because the teachers engage in paddling the pupils.Although,we ended the discussion,not concluding,we disagreed never to agree on the topic.I hear people say it is not African when you do not paddle your child/ren. I rather will categorically say ,that it is not ethical anywhere in the world not to spank,paddle or engage your children with some form of corporal punishment when they err. The United states of American ruling in 1977 allows Corporal punishment as a form of punishment in schools as long as its confined to spanking and paddling,so in the US,at the federal level,corporal punishment is legal but state(s) law vary on the type to apply.

Corporal punishment such as spanking,paddling using wood paddles,twisting of ears etc are actions that are aimed at stopping or controlling a bad or an unwanted habit or behaviour in a child. The only problem may then be moderation. Even when other provided alternatives to corporal punishment that psychologist and paediatrics doctor sometimes suggest, like denying a child  some privileges and locking them up in a room etc,when such are  not also moderately used,the process will still not lead to achieving the aim of correcting that child.

Moderation is key to achieve effective result in life.Its sometimes believed, that when you spank a child or paddle a child, the child may be more adamant.My take is that for children, their minds are still blank, they are still fresh fish yet unbended and they learn best by example.For parents,who want or wish to really achieve result at correcting a child,I think its very important that such parents should first of all be a prototype of what they want their child to turn out into so that those children see them and learn first.

Any disciplinary action that does not cause injury ,abuse or violence but moderate discomfort and pain to a child should be applied when children err and such discipline should not be angrily carried out and should also not be carried out in anger to achieve results. Most often, when children are disciplined angrily by foster parents or guardians,it infringes some bad memories in those children and may make them be more recalcitrant as they may have developed high tolerance and high threshold for pains.

Corporal punishments that involves forcing a child to consume unpleasant substances,denying them their meals or applying certain pepperish substances into their private parts is simply torture and violence.
These are no longer for corrections but  wicked and unwelcoming.

Further more,Corporal punishment should be applied in love and with some form of tolerance by whoever is applying it, be they teachers,parents,foster parents or guardians. The way such punishment is applied goes a long way to determine if result will  be just for Immediate change,pretentious change,momentary change or permanent change in the child in question.

Finally,while one applies the traditional methods of punishing a child like spanking, ear twisting,paddling etc,they could be interchanged with other alternatives like denying of privileges,engaging the child in extra domestic activities outside his/her schedules and assigned house chores and  when such child does as expected with the right behaviour,rewards could also come but moderately as well. It is very important we correct our children early enough with age appropriate corporal forms of punishment  before they engage in crimes that will result into capital punishment for them,I.e Death penalty.Some children committed such capital punishable crime while they were just minor or underage but will get the death penalty while they are above Eighteen years of age.
A stitch in time saves more than Nine if  I am allowed to say.












SHALOM.

*Afolasade Odumuyiwa*
My tots
smileatsade@yahoo.com08056157598
 *MARANATHA.