Some parents in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, Abuja, have expressed mixed opinions on the age limit to flogging children as a corporal punishment.

The parents spoke in separate interviews with newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

Some of the respondents were of the opinion that flogging was advisable but should be done with caution, especially with consideration to the age of the child.

However, others objected to the idea of flogging in totality.

Mrs Justina Umeanadu, a school principal, said flogging was not a good method of discipline. She added that most times, it did more harm than good to the children.

Umeanadu said that counselling goes a long way in redirecting a child’s character.

“Talking about age limit and flogging, it is a risk to discipline a child who has reached adolescent by flogging.

“At this age, children display characters that are strange or least expected.

“A child who has reached adolescence may, in the process of trying to flog him/her collect the cane from the parents break it, throw it away and wait to know the next action.

“Children can display a lot of unexpected characters. But that doesn’t mean you flog to correct. There are other ways to pass corrections to children that parents should embrace.

“As a parent, study your child(ren) and know what type of discipline aside flogging works for them,” she said.

‘It scares children’

According to her, flogging scares children and makes them hardened and secretive. This leads to the child living a life of pretence at every early stage of life.

She reiterated that counselling remained one way of correcting a child, especially the adolescent ones. During counseling, she noted, they get to know the implications of their actions.

Mrs Rita Eze, a mother of five, said that flogging a child had never been her method of instilling discipline on her children.

Eze said flogging children made them stubborn. She added that once a child gets used to flogging, passing correction becomes a problem.

She said they would only see flogging as a normal thing which would lead them to saying ‘Mummy will only flog me and nothing more’.

Eze said there were other measures of punishing a child other than flogging such as denying them what they liked or enjoyed doing.

According to her, she only punishes her children who are not yet teenagers. But once the child gets to teenage, she only cautions the child when he or she misbehaves instead of punishment.

“Cautioning them with love at this stage; letting them know the implications of their actions and behaviors will make them to know that they are grown and are expected to be more responsible,” she said.

Dr. Onaadepo

Dr Olufunke Onaadepo, Senior Lecturer, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Abuja, said in her experience, flogging was good to some extent.

Onaadepo said that even the Holy Bible says “if we spare the rod, we will spoil the child.”

However, Onaadepo said that there was an age limit to flogging a child.

According to her, the age of seven when a child grows to be aware of his or herself should be the limit to which a child could be flogged.

“After age seven, if you flog a child you are marring the relationship between the two of you. You should be correcting with words after that.

“If you keep flogging, the child gets used to it and he or she is not afraid of flogging. The essence becomes defeated,” he said.

‘No age limit’

On her part, Mr. Gabriel Onyema, a businessman, said there was no age limit to flogging a child unless they were no longer under his roof.

Onyema cited an Igbo adage that says; ‘An okro tree cannot be taller than who planted it’. It means a child cannot outgrow punishment from the parents.

He said that anytime his children misbehaved, he disciplined them accordingly and it had helped to instill good character and morals in them.

“A lot of what we are facing today in the country is because we learn too much from the Western world. How can a parent not flog a child when they misbehave?

“Growing up, I was flogged by my parents which helped me become who I am today.

“Some children need to be treated with iron hands if not you lose them to the corrupt society.

“I flog my children and it has worked for me. I have two adult children and they are doing great in life,” he said.

Mrs Bisi Adebayo, a mother of two, said there were no age limits to flogging a child that misbehaved.

According to her, as long as her children continue to misbehave like children, she will keep flogging them. Even a delinquent adult, she added.

“As adult, if you do not want me to flog you like a child, then behave like an adult. Do the right thing at the right time and do not stress me. Else, I will handle you my way,” she said. (NAN)

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