‘Spare the rod, spoil the child.’ This is the phrase that guides many parents, especially in Africa, who resort to corporal punishment in correcting their children.
For many who believe in corporal punishment, they are convinced that it is the most effective way to correct a child or teach them to do the right thing.
But rapper Okyeame Kwame sees it as a violent act, and does not support it. Ghana’s educational system which believed in corporal punishment has now reviewed that practice too.
As a father of two, the rapper says he has never laid hands on any of his children when they go wrong, and yet he is able to correct their mistakes and straighten them.
He spoke on Joy Prime’s morning show about how he deals with his kids when they exhibit bad behaviour.
“I don’t beat my children. I think it is the most barbaric thing for a human being to do. I think it’s violent,” he said.
Although he does not beat his children, pampering is not part of their upbringing either. He says, he has his own way of training them, which he calls the role modalism strategy.
The technique, according to him, works because children are quick to emulate the behaviours of older people.
“I use the concept of mirror neurons through role modalism. Whatever I want my children to do, I will do it. If I want my children to respect women, I’ll respect my wife. I want them to eat in a healthy way; I’ll eat in a healthy way.”
Not only is he against corporal punishment, but he also dislikes the practice of shouting at children.
The 47-year-old Kwame said he has given his children the freedom to live freely and build themselves independently. He does not invade their privacy.
Being a father has been a great experience for the rapper though he said he was totally scared during both pregnancies of his kids.