Our parents were ordained by God to guide and care for us. In turn, we do the same for our own kids. We mirror our parents' teachings to our children which is why most of us stay within the character traits of our family as a whole.
In the beginning, God set the rules of humanity and how we ought to treat each other. Those rules are good today as they were in biblical times. When Jesus came to walk the earth and died for us, some of the guidelines changed. Jesus had one guideline, one rule, one commandment and that is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Loving one another encompasses all of the other commandments before Him.
Today, discipline has been lost in the translation of humanity. People became afraid to discipline lest the violation of someone's rights. Concern for those rights became paramount over our children's future and that is worrisome.
The Lord disciplines us because He loves us. He slows the granting of prayer to teach us patience. He teaches this to us so we can teach it to our children as well and so they can pass it on to their own. In doing so, we show our children that we care. Children will impose their own wills on us. If we give in, the chain will keep going until we can no longer control it as parents. When that happens, the responsibility will unfortunately be passed on to non-parents such as teachers and educators. As parents, we must embrace and accept this responsibility. Teachers, neighbors, educators, etc. are just part of the support team. Good discipline starts at home.
Enforce discipline by establishing structure at home, setting boundaries for your kids. When boundaries are crossed, have a specific plan of action and have them suffer the consequences. Make sure that they understand that the consequences go hand in hand with the punishment which are a direct result of their behavior and not your behavior. This will teach them to develop a sense of responsibility. It also helps enforce your own continued self-discipline for everyday situations.
If these things are held in place, the future generation will be a more responsible and loving one. God has to have His place in all parenting and in all households.
Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!
No comments:
Post a Comment