Raising kids is not an easy job. If you ask the mother of five, Shaunie Henderson, she knows a thing or two now that her kids are all grown up. Both Shaunie and her ex-husband Shaquille O’Neal were quite strict when it came to their kids, and it’s safe to say that all the O’Neal kids have been raised well. The 4x NBA champ himself got schooled during his younger days on discipline the tough way. Although he uses none of that on his kids, Shaunie admitted having resorted to that once.

Shaunie admitted that she never had to use much whooping on her kids. However, she confessed to whooping her three kids once, although it wasn’t harsh. “I think three of my kids might have received a whooping and it wasn’t the kind of whooping that we probably like getting switches and all that kind of stuff is. I didn’t do all of that. My kids would get popped now I would do that,” Shaunie said.

She doesn’t believe that kids need to be beaten to be taught discipline. Shaunie agreed that kids need a healthy fear. The Basketball Wives star explained that children should have one fear that helps them understand that their wrongdoings will have consequences.

Pastor Keion also lent his knowledge, sharing that the punishment should never be more than the crime. “I think the punishment needs to be tailored towards the child because why would you whoop a child who understands words right. And why would you be using words for a child who doesn’t have a respect for them? I think you have to find out what works for that child,” Henderson who has three daughters, Candis, Tynesha, and Katelyn, said.

O’Neal also prefers a rigid parenting style. One of his rules for his children is that they work hard and make a successful career on their own. However, whooping might not have been in Shaq’s book, as he got a lot of beatings during his childhood.

Shaquille O’Neal grew up in a strict family 

A strict mother and an army sergeant, O’Neal grew up in a very strict household. As a child, he often defied his parents. And his mistakes weren’t forgiven with a slight scolding and warning, as we see in today’s gentle parenting, which is impactful.

Instead, he used to get a whooping session from his parents. He has always shared how his father helped him tremendously in his career, but he admitted that his dad was also his biggest critic. Late Mr. Phillip Arthur Harrison was the one who took O’Neal to a basketball game for the first time.

While O’Neal’s biological father left him and his mother, his stepfather stepped up as a father figure to him. Even though there are bitter memories, O’Neal also has these sweet memories that sparked his biggest dream to where he is now. For the O’Neal kids, it’s rather balanced. They got a slight whooping from their mother and some consolation from their father.

And they turned out right. Shaunie’s five kids and all the O’Neal children chose different careers. Her eldest, Myles, is a musician and model, while the youngest, Shaqir and Me’Arah, are currently playing college basketball. Shareef helps his father in his work at Reebok. Moreover, he could return to basketball soon, while Amirah has also secured a job. Whatever the parenting style is, the Los Angeles Lakers legend is happy to have raised his kids well.