“Discipline your children while there is still hope. Avoiding it can be deadly.” Proverbs 19:18
Okay, kids, do you see this? The next time you go and do wrong and get in trouble with your parents, just know that God told them to discipline you.
I know my three children have had their fair share of spankings, timeouts, restrictions, etc. I did too when I was young, and I turned out just fine.
I can clearly remember times when my middle brother, Kenneth, and I would bend over his bed and mom would whack us one with a belt. You didn’t dare laugh because that just meant you had more “lickin’s” coming.
Whew, I will never forget the time mom and I were on our way to Wednesday night church. I “talked-back” to her. She told me I was getting a spanking when I got home. I was thirteen or fourteen years old and I thought that I was clearly out of that stage, so I laughed at her. Big mistake! The look on mom’s face of hurt from my attitude hurt worse, well almost, than the spanking I did receive when I, not got home, but stepped out of the car.
Yes, I had plenty of spankings when I was young, and I am now grateful that my mom disciplined me with love and control.
Being a teacher, especially now a teacher in middle-school, it is evident which students have received, not received, or received too much and of the wrong kind of discipline. Some kids I would love to “tear their tail up”, but then there are those who you can tell by the look in their eyes that more than a spanking was given to them, and really what they need is a loving and compassionate disciplinarian.
However you do discipline your child, I pray that you are doing so in love and compassion. Teaching them, along the way, of the rights and wrongs in life.
I remember a friend once told me that every time her daddy would spank her and her sisters, he would say, “This hurts me more than it does you, but I have to discipline you when you do wrong.”
Yes, it does hurt me too when I discipline my kids. It hurts me in my heart that they did the wrong in the first place. Sometimes it hurts me because the consequence causes others to often lose out on something more fun too. A price must be paid.
But, we are not perfect! We will make mistakes. Let’ just be a bit more conscious of what we say and do before it is the wrong choice.
So, kids, one day you will appreciate those disciplined times like I did and still do. Actually, I probably should have had more “lickin’s”, but my mom would show some grace and mercy to me, just like our Heavenly Father does to us.
Blessings to you!
