ROD RULES: Pierre says his physiotherapist mother believed discipline meant anything within arm’s reach—even fish.

Engineer, author, speaker and burn survivor Pierre Kuma has a childhood memory that perfectly captures the strict discipline of his mother, a lesson delivered not with a cane, but with a fish.

Growing up, Mr. Kuma was surrounded by family. He lived with his mother, grandmother, aunties and an uncle in his grandfather’s home, where discipline was considered a core part of raising a child.

His mother, a physiotherapist by profession, was a firm believer in discipline — so much so that Pierre jokes she interpreted biblical teachings about correction quite literally.

“If there was any person in the world who understood those scriptures literally and spiritually, it was my mother,” he said.

He pointed to verses from the Book of Proverbs often quoted by parents of his generation, including the saying, “spare the rod and spoil the child.”

For Pierre, his mother did not spare the rod and sometimes, she did not even need one.

“There was nothing about what you felt or your emotion or this modern-day thing,” he said, laughing. “Soft parenting? No, no, no.”

Correction came swiftly, and whatever was available could become a tool of discipline.

One incident remains particularly unforgettable.

Pierre had gone out with his bicycle to get it repaired. When he returned home, his mother questioned him about something that had happened. He cannot remember the exact details of the disagreement, but he remembers what happened next.

“She was descaling fish in a bowl,” he recalled. “The next thing I knew, the fish was coming at me.”

His mother had thrown the fish at him.

Asked if he managed to dodge it, Pierre laughed.

“I think so. I did,” he said.

He described his mother as a true Ga woman; strong-willed, direct and not one to issue empty threats.

“You never hear a Ga woman say, ‘Wait till your father comes. She will do with you.’ Maybe your father will come and beg for you,” he joked. “But she will hit you with anything.”

While his mother represented strict discipline, Pierre’s grandmother often played the softer role, stepping in to plead on his behalf.

“My grandmother was the one who used to beg for me sometimes,” he said.

Despite the tough upbringing, Pierre acknowledges that his mother’s discipline was rooted in wanting the best for him. As an only child, he says she did everything she could, even without great financial means.

“She wasn’t the richest person, but she did her best,” he said.

Today, the relationship between mother and son has evolved. The boy who once feared his mother’s corrections grown into a man who could stand taller, literally and figuratively .

Pierre remembers a moment during his teenage years when puberty had set in, his voice had deepened and he had grown taller. During an argument, his mother suddenly realized he was no longer the small child she could easily discipline.

“That was when reality dawned,” he said. “The tables have turned.”

But even as an adult, Pierre says he never lost respect for his mother. There was one moment when frustration got the better of him during a disagreement, and his aunt, who knew him from childhood, became afraid he might cross a line.

“She was crying and begging me,” he recalled. “She was like, ‘P, I beg you, P, I beg you.’”