Personhood means recognizing the intrinsic worth of every individual, no matter how small or young. 🌟 It means introducing our children to themselves as persons of value, with the ability to think, choose, and act meaningfully in their world. Reflecting on this, I shared with Tieriayooluwa a foundational lesson: discipline is not about punishment but about preserving and nurturing dignity.
I referenced a principle from my book, Transforming Child Discipline into the Culture of Discipline: “The purpose of discipline is to protect the dignity of our precious children, to help them become conscious of their worth as human beings in both private and public interactions, and to empower them to always defend that dignity before everyone, regardless of their position in life.”
True discipline acknowledges the child as a full person, an individual with thoughts, feelings, and the capacity for growth. 🧠💖 It equips them to recognize and reject tyranny, empowering them to stand firm in their dignity. As Adebayo Williams said, “To accept an act of tyranny is an act of intellectual self-dispossession.” This foundation of discipline is essential to raising children who understand their worth and act in ways that uphold both their own dignity and the dignity of others. ✊✨
