Growing up in Nigeria can be fun and also
hell, especially if your parents are strict. Some who were brought up in
the 70s and 80s had parents who would not hesitate to flog or severely
punish them if they went against the rules and regulations.
Some parents believe that the best way to bring up a child is by not sparing the rod and so they would not waste time in giving you a dirty slap, a knock on the head to bring you back to order.
You get punished for breaking plates, losing your property, not greeting an elder, failing in school or forgetting to do your chores.
The kind of punishments some Nigerian parents mete out to their children will leave you speechless.
Some of those punishments will leave you so weak that you would wish they just flogged you instead.
Below are some punishments peculiar to Nigerian parents
1. Flogging / canning:
This is the standard punishment for misbehaving. Your parents would
get hold of anything, a tree stem, a belt, a slipper or anything that
can inflict pain. The cane brought order to some homes. The thought of
your parents flogging you was enough to make you do the right thing.
2. Kneel down and raise up your hands:
It may sound like an easy punishment but when you have been left
kneeling for hours with your hands hanging in the air, you would know
it’s not as easy as it looks. Your hands must not go down else the time
for the punishment will be extended.
3. Kneeling on gravel or sand: Kneeling on its own is painful, now add gravel to it. Your parents would ask you to kneel on a very rough surface so you can feel the pain. The pain caused by sharp stones digging into your knees made remaining upright quite a challenge but you will have to do it else more punishment for you.
4. The frog jump:
Remember having to hold your ears, do the squats and jump from one
end to the other till your parents were satisfied? This was a favourite
punishment in some homes and it would leave thigh muscles in pain.
5. Pick pin:
You had one leg hanging in the air while one finger and the other leg
were pinned to the ground. You remain in that position until your legs
gave out or until your parents thought you had trembled enough.
6. Knock on the head or slap on the face:
For less severe misbehaviour, a parent, mostly the mother, could give
the child a knock or two on the head or even ask you to knock yourself.
If you don’t do it to their satisfaction they asked someone else to do
or they did it themselves. Sometimes, it could be an unexpected slap
that would make you see your ancestors. It didn’t matter whether it was
in a public place.
7. Balance on one leg and stretch your hands:
You have one leg on the floor, the other hanging in the air and your hands stretched as though you wanted to fly.
If you didn’t go through any of these punishments, you were lucky.
These kinds of punishments are rare in homes these days as many parents are more enlightened today. But, back in the days, they were a normal part of growing up and we survived it.
Which kind of punishment did you have to endure while growing up and feared the most?
Some parents believe that the best way to bring up a child is by not sparing the rod and so they would not waste time in giving you a dirty slap, a knock on the head to bring you back to order.
You get punished for breaking plates, losing your property, not greeting an elder, failing in school or forgetting to do your chores.
The kind of punishments some Nigerian parents mete out to their children will leave you speechless.
Some of those punishments will leave you so weak that you would wish they just flogged you instead.
Below are some punishments peculiar to Nigerian parents
1. Flogging / canning:
2. Kneel down and raise up your hands:
3. Kneeling on gravel or sand: Kneeling on its own is painful, now add gravel to it. Your parents would ask you to kneel on a very rough surface so you can feel the pain. The pain caused by sharp stones digging into your knees made remaining upright quite a challenge but you will have to do it else more punishment for you.
4. The frog jump:
5. Pick pin:
6. Knock on the head or slap on the face:
7. Balance on one leg and stretch your hands:
If you didn’t go through any of these punishments, you were lucky.
These kinds of punishments are rare in homes these days as many parents are more enlightened today. But, back in the days, they were a normal part of growing up and we survived it.
Which kind of punishment did you have to endure while growing up and feared the most?
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