Children suing parents

Greetings!

In this life, I've come to understand that we live largely based on what we know or the values we were brought up with. This is why the cultural practices of other nations often seem odd to outsiders. A typical example is the practice of cannibalism in certain cultures; those who practice it see nothing wrong with it, no matter how much others condemn it. Meanwhile, for some people, even thinking about it is taboo.

Why am I saying this?

In my part of the world, Africa—especially Nigeria—we hold doctrines and traditions in high esteem, and it is incredibly difficult to sway us into adopting other people's cultures. Although many people are now embracing aspects of "English" culture, the majority of us remain steadfast in holding onto our traditional values.

Should children be allowed to sue their parents over minor issues?

This is already happening in developed countries, where children can wake up one day and call the police to have their parents arrested over something as minor as being disciplined. The authorities often respond to such complaints. While this may seem perfectly acceptable to many people, I find it completely unacceptable. It feels unnatural to me.

In the home where I was raised, my parents had complete authority over us until we became adults. There were many occasions when we were punished (disciplined), and even if we reported the punishment to elders in the family, my parents still punished us for doing so. How much more involving the police or the courts! Laughable, really.

These days, many Africans are adopting the idea of not physically punishing children when they misbehave. To me, this is no different from allowing children to sue their parents. Yes, no one can convince me otherwise! Imagine a situation where you are legally prohibited from punishing your child because it is against the law. If you do, the child has the legal right to involve the judiciary, and if the court rules in their favor, the parent could end up in jail or have to pay a hefty fine. I strongly disagree with this, even if the terms of such laws are not as extreme as I am describing.

Take, for example, a scenario where a father finds his 12-year-old son watching explicit content on his phone or, worse, engaging in fraudulent activities using the phone. The father seizes the phone as a form of punishment and refuses to return it. Instead of the boy showing remorse, asking for forgiveness, or learning from his mistake, he sues his father for violating his right to use phone and invading his privacy. If the court takes up such a case, the father could be found guilty under basic laws and made to pay a hefty fine or face legal consequences.

You might argue that such a situation can only be fictional, but the reality is that if the world fully embraces laws that allow children to sue their parents, cases like this will become commonplace. Before long, children might be granted full adult rights immediately after birth! Yeah, children will be allowed to have sex at 10 years and it'll appear normal.

Never in support!

Thanks for reading.

Image source 1 & 2