Overheard parental conversations…2. discipline

A young mom talking to her co-worker at Target:

“He keeps hitting Steven all the time. So the next time he punches Steven in the face, I’m gonna say, “Robert, next time you punch Steven in the face, I’m going to punch YOU in the face.  (pause) Of course, you can’t really punch a 4 year old in the face, so I never would.”

Empty threats – that’s what they are called. There are differences of opinion regarding how we all discipline our children, but here’s a couple of tried and tested truths:

1. Don’t make a threat that you cannot carry through on – ever. Your kids are smart and they will know you don’t mean it so it won’t make a bit of difference. 

2. Plan your system of discipline ahead of time so that you know what you are going to do when kids behave badly, because, guess what, they are sinners and they will behave badly. It’s  your job to teach them to behave well, so you need a plan, and a part 2 of the plan and eventually you might even need a part three. Don’t be surprised by it. Don’t be angry about it – it has nothing to do with you – it’s how they are and God has called you to teach them what is right. It needs to be something that they won’t like, that stops the problem, and afterwards you need to talk with them, get an apology and forgive them and move on, not bringing it up again.