Little rascal driving us nuts

 Spare the rod and spoil the child is an age old saying that I have come to appreciate in recent days. Boys being what they are, nothing hammers sense into their small brains than a few strokes on their behinds. I know child rights activists are plotting on hunting me down for the very thought of using the rod on Junior. But Junior is not your ‘usual’ kid. Obedience to any rules, however minor does not rank among his list of priorities – if he has any. The word ‘No’ has become his favourite piece of vocabulary. The small rascal who cannot change his own diaper has found ingenious ways of beating the system. For example, he has a great aversion to food and has realised that if the grown ups insist on stuffing his small mouth with it, then he can turn the corners of the house into a garbage bin. And so he will take a mouthful of mashed this or that, move happily around the house and deposit it in some corner before coming back for more. Using the rod is becoming appealing by the day.

Even Myra, the mild one is running out of patience. A city girl, she can hardly remember her parents pointing a finger at her let alone using the rod. What she got, and not once, was the “look” – the kind that made her recoil in shame and fear. On the other hand, I was brought up by parents who thought that warming my bottoms was a national duty. I was even caned for imaginary sins. Sobbing was criminal as it would incur more wrath from the old man. My parents told me that they were setting a good example for me, an example I was to keep in mind when I got a family of my own. Well, I have one now. Can somebody explain to me as to why I should not use the rod?