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day with your children. Talk to them,
teach them, get to know them and let
them get to know you.
Go places and do things with
your children. You can attend cul–
tural events or visit places of natu–
ral or man-made beauty. Teach
them to appreciate and enjoy the
finer things life has to offer. Go on
family outings or camp-outs. Such
activities will be memorable for
your children-and for you. They
will help to bind your family
together as a unit.
The necessity of parental in–
volvement cannot be overempha–
sized. Too many parents rely on
others to fulfill this God-given
responsibility.
Discipline Your Chlldren
ou may have seen it- a
young mother, wrestling
with her small children.
She tries to be nice to them and
reason with them. She even tries to
bribe them with candy and other
t reats if they would only "be
good."
But they seem to delight in
throwing tantrums and embarrass–
ing their mother in public. They
seem totally uncontrollable.
Part of that mother's problem is
that she- along with millions of
other parents-has no definite
plan
or program in rearing children.
Much of this comes from parents
having been led to believe that in
rearing children your choice has to
be either love
or
discipline.
That is utterly and tragically
wrong!
In truth, the correct approach to
child rearing involves both !ove
ANO
discipline. They go hand in hand.
If your little child keeps running
out in the street-laughing at you
because you either can't or won't dis–
cipline for this foolishness, you may
one day
lose your
child under the
wheels of a passing automobile. And
all the permissive sociologists and
psychologists on earth won't be able
to bring your child back to life! It
is important to teach the meaning
of "no" in advance of problems.
Little children, for their
own
wel–
fare, must be taught to obey their
parents. In any number of dangerous
18
situations, it could spell the differ–
ence between life and death.
God's Word clearly admonishes
to correct and discipline our chil–
dren for wrong actions. However,
discipline involves not only appro–
priate punishment for wrong
behavior but rewards for right
behavior (Prov. 22:15 and 29: 15).
Unfortunately too many view dis–
cipline in a negative manner. They
have seen so much child abuse that
they reject the principie of proper
discipline altogether. They adopt,
instead, a destructively permissive
stance in respect to their chi ldren's
attitudes and actions.
Proper discipline for wrongdoing
must
never
take the form of child
abuse! Discipline for wrong acts or
attitudes should never involve verbal
insults or degrading put-downs. It
also should never involve punching
or slapping in the face,
strapping with a heavy
belt, twisting arms, boxing
or pulling ears, pinching,
kicking, or hitting about
vital organs.
We speak out in the
loudest terms against an
adult losing his or her
temper and striking a
child in uncontrolled an–
ger or rage.
The word
discipline
comes from a Latín word
that literally means "in–
struction." That instruc–
tion must begin at a very
young age.
A small sapling can
easily be trained to grow
in the right direction, but
once that sapling becomes
a mature tree, it is not
possible to change it. In a
similar way, children can
be trained when young, but there
comes a time when parents may no
longer be able to teach a child.
God 's instruction is "Chasten
your son
while there is hope
..."
(Prov. 19:18, RAV). And: "He who
spares his rod bates his son, but he
who !oves him disciplines him
promptly" (Prov. 13:24, RAV).
Administering discipline appro–
priately and
promptly
is importan
t.
While children are young, teach–
able and pliable, they can be
trained by proper instruction and
correction. This includes approba-
tion or reward for doing well, and
proper discipline for wrongdoing.
Here are six important points to
remember when administering dis–
cipline:
• N ever cause inj u ry to the
child.
• Discipline should be adminis–
tered in !ove, not anger.
• A spanking shou ld only be
applied to the
gluteus maximus–
the fatty area of the seat-nowhere
else. That is where one sits down.
Physical discipline should be just
painful enough to be effective.
• It
should be done only in prí–
vate.
• Discipline, physical or otber–
wise, should be applied promptly,
fairly and consistently, and be felt
if it is to be effective.
• It
should only be administered
after the parent explains to the
child why the child is being cor–
rected. If a
warning
is given as a
child starts misbehaving, and disci–
pline is administered if the child
fails to heed, the child has the
chance to avoid the punishment
next time and so learn self-control,
and the parent's word and warnings
are reinforced.
Never injure a child. Do
NOT
lose your temper or strike the child
on or about the head or any vital
organ. But oo spank hard enough
so that the child
sincere/y responds
(Continued on page 39)
The
PLAIN TRUTH