I have just tucked Mariah and Joel into bed for the night. As I left the room, Mariah was telling a “tale” about Joel doing something to hurt her physically earlier today. What do you do in these cases? Tell the one child off for tattling? Or tell the other child off for what they did wrong? Both? Hmmm. . . anyway, I said, “Joel, Mommy really prays that you will grow up to be a strong man that uses his strength for good things. You can be a strong man but you can still be a gentle man and a kind man.” Joel very submisively said, “OK Mom.” Then he added in the next breath, “Yeah, Mom and if you don’t discipline me and I am naughty then I might grow up to be a stranger.” 🙂
Of course we’ve taught them about stranger danger and all that . . . BUT, I did have to add that all strangers aren’t bad. We just don’t know which ones are and which ones aren’t so we have to be careful . . . Mariah quickly launched into talking about people they don’t know offering them lollipops, etc. Ha! I often tell the children that God has given me the job to discipline and train them and if I don’t do my job then they will grow up to be unhappy and foolish people. I’m glad it is sinking in!
I was listening to a talk on cd that a friend gave me recently. The lady, who is a mother of 7, was advising women on various topics and she pointed to Proverbs 29:17. “Discipline your son and he will give you peace. He will bring delight to your soul.” She made the point that if your child is not giving you peace and bringing you delight, then perhaps you should consider if you need to train him better in a certain area. Good advice to ponder. I have printed the verse out and put it up in my kitchen as a reminder. It is so much “easier” sometimes to ignore their bad behaviour BUT in the end you end up suffering for not addressing it. Sometimes you have to engage in a battle in order to win the war (conflict first and then peace!). I read through Proverbs last month and there is so much in the book about discipline – for children and adults! Over and over it talks about how fools ignore correction and the wise man accepts his discipline. Proverbs 13:24 – . . . He who loves his son is careful to discipline him. Please help us Lord to have the courage and energy to train our children. Help them to accept their training and discipline and help us to accept it when you correct and discipline us.
