Photo used for illustration purposes only. Credit: kieferpix
Parenting in the digital age has added new dimensions to the challenges parents face, with social media serving as a platform to share firsthand experiences, lessons, and frustrations.
One Kenyan mother, identified as Akinyi on Facebook, recently sparked discussion after detailing how she handled a nanny who slapped her young daughter.
The story highlights the delicate balance between child discipline, household management, and the growing public conversation around respectful parenting.
Akinyi’s account began with a tense morning incident. According to her post, her daughter was eager to watch a newly purchased Samsung TV.
“My daughter's nanny slapped her in the morning because she was excited about the Samsung TV that her mother bought with her own money. She wanted to watch it a little bit, yet the school bus would have left her,” Akinyi wrote.
Hearing her daughter’s cries, Akinyi rushed to the scene and addressed the situation calmly but firmly. She reminded the young caretaker that her household does not tolerate violence as a form of discipline.
“I let the nanny know that in my house we don't advocate for violence. She'd rather wake me up. After all, I'm always up at that time,” she said. The nanny apologized to the child, and the situation was resolved peacefully.
Reflecting on her approach, Akinyi noted that she has learned to exercise patience and gentleness as a parent.
“When I used to be wild, I would have beaten her thoroughly, but parenting taught me to be gentle. I'm always gentle even with rude clients,” she added.
However, the story took a more nuanced turn after Akinyi posted a follow-up. Some readers had assumed her daughter was unruly, prompting her to clarify her child’s temperament.
“My daughter is more compassionate than me. She can't even fight back like me. She will come back home crying to report,” she wrote.
Akinyi contrasted her daughter’s gentle nature with her own assertive personality, explaining that even as an adult she tends to confront challenges head-on while her daughter avoids confrontation.
The mother also detailed her family’s history with electronics and household accidents.
She recounted how her daughter accidentally broke a TV while playing with toys in August of the previous year, but she refrained from using physical punishment, relying instead on verbal guidance.
“I didn’t beat her. I just told her that she will suffer,” she said.
Similarly, when her daughter received a phone from her grandmother, its use was strictly limited, demonstrating Akinyi’s preference for structured boundaries rather than corporal punishment.
Akinyi used the incident to discuss broader issues surrounding physical discipline, especially by young or inexperienced caretakers.
She criticized slapping as an ineffective and potentially harmful method, citing the risk of brain injury or trauma in children.
“Kids’ brains need tenderness. You might give birth to a normal kid and end up with a brain injury because of such slaps,” she warned.
In reflecting on her nanny, Akinyi offered insight into the young woman’s upbringing. The nanny had recently completed high school and was described more like a younger sister than an employee.
She had a history of being rushed and punished physically, leading her to act hastily and sometimes break household items in fear.
“She told me that even if they were eating and a spoon fell down, she would be beaten black and blue. She does things in a rush out of fear,” Akinyi explained.
The mother emphasized that the incident was not about her daughter misbehaving but rather a reflection of the nanny’s past experiences and lack of training in gentle caregiving.
She concluded with a warning to other parents: inflicting violence as discipline can have long-term negative effects.
“The violence you inflict on kids in terms of discipline is just messing them up. They either learn from the violence or become the violence,” she wrote.
Akinyi’s candid account has sparked conversation online, with readers debating the balance between discipline and compassion.