How Slapping or Hitting Your Child With a Weapon Hurts Them Psychologically

Whenever we say that hitting children is never a good thing...a lot of people respond with.

"We must discipline them a little,"

We hear, you. But consider the two images i've shared below. The first is a child's skull, and the second is an adult's skull.

That is how the skull of a toddler looks like. The gaps you can see are called fontanelles. In my language we call it 'ruototia'. I think it is utosi in kiswahili, but I'm not sure.

In fact, if you observe the front part of your child's head carefully, you will see a soft spot rising and falling along with the child's heartbeat.

Now what most parents dont know, is that the fontanelle (soft spot) runs to the back and the sides of the skull.

Remember how you used to say, mtoto hafai kuanguka na kichwa, because atagongwa utosi, akufe?

Slapping your child and giving them hard blows to the head can have the exact effect.

Sometimes, we tell ourselves that we can 'legeza mkono' when hitting them,

But do you know what that soft blow to a child's skull does?....It causes minor brain injuries, and kills your child's brain cells.

So, God blesses you with a beautiful child, high IQ, ability to conquer academics...then mwiko inatembea for the first 10 years...by the time anafika class 8, he/she can't even score 300 marks.

Why?

The minor brain injuries from mwiko ikitembea, killed off a significant percentage of their brain cells. So, you are literally making your child stupid by hitting them.

Of course not every child is born with a high IQ, but why do you want to be the parent who gave birth to a smart child and then made the child 'mjinga' because 'mwiko ni lazima itembee?"

I know automatically you will say

"But huwa simgongi kichwa"

Really, can you regulate where it lands? Especially when the child is trying to escape the violence and you are angry? Sometimes they will hit their head on the seat or a wall while escaping you, which creates the same traumatic brain injuries.

Remember, this is physical injury...I will detail how much yelling and beating child changes their brain chemicals.

So, please, the next time you grab that cooking spoon or rain those blows, remember that your child's skull is not as strong as yours...If shaking a child vigorously is enough to cause them brain damage....how much worse is a slap or a blow from a hard object like a mwiko?