December 28, 2021

To Spank or Not to Spank?

Note: This post was first published in 2017, but has been updated. Please, please, please, remember that discipline is never about venting your anger or irritation. Neither is it merely punishment for wrongdoing. It is about winning the heart of your child. Consequences are the means to this end, not the end themselves. “We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing.  Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change.” –Henry Cloud  This is the reason we give consequences. As a motivation for change. Whatever…

How To Discipline your Baby or Toddler

Note: This post first appeared in 2017 but has been updated. The first three to seven years are the formative years in a child’s life.  During this time you are building a foundation for the character of your child. Your child will not be able to reason until around age seven.  This means your focus should not be on reasoning with your child, but training your child. A child below the age of reason does not choose to obey because they love Mommy or because the Bible says they should.  They choose to obey because they…

Ten Things You Need To Discipline Well

NOTE: This post was originally published in 2017. What image does the word “Discipline” bring to your mind? Spanking, the naughty corner, scolding? Here is what most of us think: Discipline = Punishment. And most of what is called discipline is punishment. But good discipline is more than punishment.  It’s about prevention rather than cure. The purpose of discipline True discipline is about teaching your children to be self-controlled, to obey you, and to show respect for authority – yours and God’s. It’s about teaching them to surrender their hearts to God. True discipline reaches children’s…

18 Ways to Discipline Your Child Without Spanking

NOTE: This article was first published on January 4, 2017, but has been updated. There are many reasons parents avoid discipline: It doesn’t seem to work. It’s unpleasant. It’s easier to let the kid have its way. They feel guilty when the child accuses them of being mean. It doesn’t feel good. After all, who wants to make their kids cry? Sometimes we avoid it because of the way our parents disciplined us – harshly or not at all. Maybe the problem wasn’t the correction but how&nbsp…