Disciplining a child? It's all a gamble

Raising a child is one of the most difficult tasks out there for real... It's never an easy thing to deal with.
This is also the greatest task every parent is faced with and when they finally get to raise their child to become someone responsible in future, it also transcends to their greatest source of joy and gives them the feeling of mission successfully completed.

Growing up of a child is always something scary because the child grows up and then makes his or her decision.... This is the singular reason why in as much as parents try to give their all and all in raising up a child, I still see it as a gamble because 70% of the outcome depends on the child's decision to become responsible when he grows up.

Some will really argue that a child trained and brought up with the good laid down rules and principles of the routines to always follow will end up becoming a responsible citizen but that's all theoretical for real....that's not me saying that it doesn't work at all, nah! It's just me saying that the child still decided to become responsible which made him responsible and was easier because the parents already laid down the pathway for him.

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In my neighborhood, there are not less than 10 youths I grew up with whom I saw when I went back home only for them to be feared cultists in the neighborhood.
These were guys I served mass with...
These were guys their mum dragged to morning masses every blessed day...
These were guys their parents flogged the hell out of them for their wrongdoings...
These were guys their parents sat down and gave advice and even gave me...
These were guys their parents restricted from going outside to play with their fellow kids so they shouldn't learn bad things...

Now tell me, what justifies the action of these guys today joining something as useless as cultism and also trying to be the leaders when literally their parents gave their all in raising them up because I can't get to wrap my head around the exact reason why they ended that way?

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Personally, I really don't know the best approach in raising and disciplining a child, but, I feel there should be an overlap in using the words of admonitions and when to implore the corporal punishments because none of them when used singly is ever enough.

The Words Of Admonitions:
Simply put, this is the use of words of advice in correcting a child.
There are some words my parents said to me that I would have preferred they flogged me a thousand times.... These words will keep on reverberating in your head and follow you everywhere you go.
It offers you something to reflect on and redirect your path .
It also helps the child not to get afraid of his parents as he's always ready to talk to his parents without fear promoting communication amongst parents
But then, it has it's own downsides too

The Corporal Punishment:

This involves the use of canes and various punishments as small as kneeling down to the highest you could think of...
It effects immediate correction on the child, lol... Who wouldn't take correction when you've received random strokes of cane on your skin sending you to the earthly hell😂
This also helps the child to desist from that exact punishment you corrected him from.
And as expected, it has it's own downsides too

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Canva
Just like I'll always say, the greater part of the decision to be responsible and disciplined lies on the child, so in as much as we implore various methods, let's also pray that God directs our children's path at all times

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Thanks for reading and have a nice day

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