The impact of the rod

Children are a blessing from God, a delight to behold, and a joy to the parent. That brings about celebration and the joy of having someone to call their own for the parents, but since children don't come to the world with a manual or the ability to differentiate between what's right and wrong, they're most likely to misbehave at times, and that brings about the duties of the parent to imbibe normalcy into such a kid with corrective words, some of which result in the use of a rod when the child refuses to listen to such correction.

There are loads of child rights laws around the globe that restrict how parents deal with their wards when they misbehave, although such laws are also here in my country but not as strict as they are in top world nations like the UK, USA, and other nations, so that means the use of a rod in correcting kids when they go against instruction is much more common here, which leads us into the story of Michael and his parents.

Michael came into the life of his parents at a time when they'd almost given up on having any child in their marriage, but fortunately for them, they had Michael in the 12th year of their marriage. His arrival was a dream come true for them, and they vow to cater for all of his needs to the best of their abilities without letting any evil come near him.

Michael grew up having every single thing he requested for; his parents always went to any length to make sure he was satisfied, and in a situation where they failed to meet his needs, he cried and cried until it was provided. The neighbors and elders around the parents of Michael didn't fail to call their attention to how poorly they were raising their son and the implications it could have, but rather than listen to those advices, they waved it off, claiming Michael was all they had and they couldn't watch him suffer.

Michael grew up as an arrogant and overly pampered boy who has no regard for anyone, including his parents; the only time he references them is when his needs are being met. It got to a point where Michael stepped out and thought the world was a bed of roses where he could take hold of anything he liked, and that led to him beating a neighbor's kid and taking the boy's bicycle.

The boy who was affected informed his parents, who came to Michael's house to report the terrible act their son did, but even while they spoke and asked him to apologize, Michael refused and insisted he only wanted the boy's bike and didn't want a new one. After trying to convince him without any hope, the parents pleaded with the boy's parents to sell them the bike at all costs just to please Michael.

Such was an example of Michael's bad character and his parents' unwillingness to tame him. Things fell apart one year when Michael asked for something his father couldn't provide and, angrily, he broke things in the house before storming out. That incident resulted in his father having a heart attack that made him bedridden, and things fell apart when Michael's uncle, who was in the army, found out Michael was the cause of his brother's illness due to the constant menace Michael did at home and in the neighborhood.

Michael was beaten mercilessly with the hope that he'll realize his mistake and understand the need to be content with whatever one gets, and when it isn't available, we should understand that it isn't the end of the world or a must for us to get everything our hearts desire. The beating and advice didn't go down well with Michael, and can we really blame him for that? He's now 18, and never has he been cautioned about his bad attitude, nor has a rod been used on him prior to then.

After this, Michael was privileged to get hold of his uncle's gun, and he shot his with it because he didn't seem to have done anything bad in what he had been doing in the past, so he saw no reason why she should be punished. He was later arrested for murder and sentenced to prison for the crime.

The focal point of this story is for us to come to the understanding that the place of caution and discipline (rod) shouldn't be downplayed when bringing up our children right from their tender age. A child you refuse to correct today will become a menace to you and the entire community in the future, so in order to raise up a child that'll give you peace of mind in the future and not tarnish your name and reputation, you should use the rod when you feel the offense is beyond what words alone can correct, the Bible says.

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Proverb 22 : 15

That's about all of my input for this edition of the City of Neoxian prompt. I hope you enjoyed the read and have a blessed day ahead.

NB: I make use of Quillbot grammar checker features to help correct some of my grammatical and punctuation errors after writing my content by myself.