"Just One More Time"

Hey folks,
It's time for my yearly blog. I can hear some of you now... "ah man, that time again?" It is, so sit back and enjoy! OK, at least sit back.

Today I would like to talk to parents about how they discipline their children. Really its more about the lack of discipline. I think it would be good to start this confab with a quote from the Holy Bible. Proverbs 23:13, 14 reads, "Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell."

Just the other day I was in Lowes Home Improvement studying the finer qualities of the "nail" and "screw" aisle. I must say the variety of fasteners found in that 44' 7-3/8" section is hypnotizing! And I'm not even talking about the anchor bolts... oh, please don't get me started on them! Anyway, I was snatched from my trance-like state by a screaming little girl. She was still a good five aisles away but that high pitched piercing wail of discontent could have easily been heard in the lawn & gardening section outside.

I noticed it was getting louder! I quickly tried to immerse myself in the instructions on a box of 2-3/8" deck screws, but it was too late! Before I knew it they were at the end of my aisle and the mother was looking as though she was going to turn in! NOOOOOO! I screamed in my head! What could she possible want on the nail and screw aisle? My heart began to pound in my chest as my ears started to ring with the sound of that precious little spawn of satan. It's really a good thing they weren't near the lightning section, all the lamp would have shattered into a million pieces due to the decibels emanating from a little girl I guessed to be 5 to 6 years old.

I wanted to run, but my lower extremities were going numb. And wouldn't you know it... they stop right behind me! Curses, it was the glue section that brought them there! It was then that I heard mom speak...

Mom... "If you don't hush I'm going to wear you out right here in this store. Do you want me to do that?"

Lucy-fer... (screaming to the top of her lungs)

Mom... "I'm going to count to three! One... Two..."

Lucy-fer... (stomping her feet as she continues to scream... and spew pea soup)

Mom... "Now I mean it! I'm going to spank you right here! One... Two..."

Lucy-fer... (Head begins to spin, boxes of nails and washers start quivering, and more screaming and crying)

Me... THREE THREE THREE! (not out loud,but in my head)

Mom, never got to THREE! Why? My only guess would be that she missed that episode of "Sesame Street".? By the time they moved on down the aisle and eventually around the corner, I was ready to wear somebody out! And it wasn't little Lucy-fer! It was mom.

Now please understand, I'm not for brutality. Just "good ole fashion" discipline. If I understand god's word correctly, discipline is good for a child. The verse I shared says it will deliver their souls from hell.

The problem with children today is not ADD or ADHD. The real problem is LAZY PARENTS. Sure I know ADD and ADHD are issues with some children. Yet, I wonder how many of them have been misdiagnosed? Instead they suffer from LP (lazy parents). Parents, we have to step up to the God-given responsibility of discipline. It isn't pleasant, but neither is changing dirty diapers or cleaning up puke, but its our job. And if you set the tone early in your little bundle of joy's life, you will find that you don't have to spank nearly as much when they get older.

Oh, and "Time-out" is not the answer. All that teaches a child is to sit in a confined space until they are allowed to come out. If you think about it, we do the same thing with adults... its called JAIL. The percentage is astronomical that those who have been in jail will likely be a repeat offender. They don't learn their lesson just because you take them out of society for a period of time. Just the same, the fear of time-out won't keep your child on the straight and narrow.

Proverbs 29:15 says, "The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother."

So when we fail to discipline our children we not only hurt the child, we disobey God. Both prospects should be repulsive... especially to the christian.

Until next year... I mean next time...