Proverbs 23:13 – 14

¹³ Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.
¹⁴ Punish them with the rod and save them from death.

Recently a famous college coach retired. Many of the former players were interviewed. Even years later they were grateful for the things the coach taught them. They learned lessons about keeping their composure, working hard, and playing through adversity. These things were still a big part of their lives years later. They even mentioned the difficult practices and the times the coach had to chastise the team. There were times the coach needed to be hard on them. They didn’t like it, but it prepared them not only for the next game, but for life.

As parents, we have to prepare our children for life. There are times we will need to use a stronger form of discipline on our children. One of the key facts about children that is forgotten or ignored is found in Proverbs 22:15, namely, foolishness/silliness is “bound” in the heart of a child. This means that foolishness, to some degree, is tied to their nature. And if not corrected, they will take foolish behavior into adulthood. This will have disastrous results not only for them and others, but heartache for you as a parent.

Children do not like discipline. They want to do what they want, when they want, however they want, with no consequences. But that is not how life works. As parents we can have fun with our children, but there are times we have to be stern. Just as a great coach can joke and have fun with his team, he always remains “coach”, because his job is to guide and prepare the team for what lies ahead.

It takes godly wisdom to know how and when and what form of discipline to apply and for how long to apply it. As a parent you have to seek wisdom from the Lord daily. And when the children complain about the discipline, remember your role of as their coach whose preparing them for life. The correction you apply today will benefit your child later on.