For a long while, we were contemplating whether to use the rod to discipline Mal. Though there were times where Mal was disobedient, he usually listened when we explained to him or when we raised our voice. Such ‘good’ times are over now. At 2 1/2 years old, we think the real ‘terrible 2s’ sydrome had emerged. Recently he loved to disobey us. He would ignore us and continue to do things he was told not supposed to do. We think he was really testing our limits and his own boundary. So explaining doesn’t work, shouting doesn’t work. We used to put him on his naughty chair and that still work as the moment he hears that he will need to sit on his naughty chair he will start whinning and sometimes even tearing if we insist. But recently we had resort to something more drastic…the rod…where grandma used to use on us.

On Halloween day morning, the cane had its opening ceremony! I used it on Mal’s hand. Can’t remember exactly what he did but it was one of those instances where he insisted on doing something he was told not to do. Prior to using the cane, he was told that he will get stripes of cane mark on his body if we were to use it on him. After the 1st spanking on his hand, he innocent turned to me and said ‘Mummy, how come no stripes stripes on my hand?!’ So he was expecting the cane marks…not knowing that those were come with harder spanking! That was the introduction to the rod for Mal.

When I used the rod again for the 2nd time, the spanking was harder and he cried immediately after the 1st stroke! Now when I mentioned about bringing out the rod, he will begin to whine and show fear in his eyes.

I guessed I succeeded in making the cane and the naughty chair a symbol of discipline , pain and fear or to put it simply…a weapon of terror. WHAHAHA!