"You wait, when your dad comes, I will tell him", is one memorable quote from my childhood. Whenever you do something wrong and you are told this, know that you are in for trouble that night. When dad comes and you are even asleep, it's most likely you would get some spanking before day break. Spare the rod and spoil your child, is one quote my mum really loved. African parents will beat you and when you are crying, they tell you it's for your own good. How can tears be for my own good?

Kids today don't really get spanked. Social workers this days will tell you that there are more effective ways to discipline a child than to beat them, but that's not often true. I've never been outside Africa, but if western movie is anything to go buy, seems spanking works better than a lot of other disciplinary ways. You see white kids talk anyhow to their parents and the only thing done is to "ground" them. Even then, the kids go out through the windows. If you should ever get grounded in the house I grew up in, forget about using the window is an escape route. Iron bars are fixed on the windows and you have nowhere to go.

Parents are gradually losing their grip on their kids and expect teachers to perform magic. Yes, your kid spends more time in school, but are you not the first point of socialization. If you can't teach your kid some manners, who else can. In Ghana, discipline is often left for the father and as such, children often feel closer to their mothers than their fathers. No, it isn't necessarily because they are scared of their fathers. It is most likely because they are able to go scot-free whenever they have a situation with their mothers, so they prefer that to discipline.

When a footballer commits a foul or something deemed "bad", disciplinary action is taken against such player which often includes fines. Parents should find a way to discipline their children whiles they can. You can't use the rules of basketball in a soccer match, so therefore discipline styles in Britain can't be same as those in Kenya. African parents are now being influenced by western culture and they don't want to spank their children. That's fine with me if it's working. If it isn't, use other means before it gets out of hand. These are just my thoughts and it's not an example of what the African populace believes in. I believe in corporal punishment, and I also believe spanking to get the message across.