Discipline as described by Webster is “teaching our children to obey rules or code of behavior by issuing some type of punishment to correct disobedience.”
I have had many learned people of God’s word to tell me about one of my children at some time of defiance in their character, ‘spare the rod and spoil the child, that’s what the Good Book says.” No, the bible does not say that per se. It reads this way. In scripture, Proverbs 13:14, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” My interpretation of this is that you should discipline your child in his misbehavior, but it does not say with a rod you should punish him. I don’t even like the word punish. I would prefer correct.
I explain all this to say that the act of disciplining a child for a parent is one of the most confounding actions that a mother or daddy faces. How much is enough and how much is too much?
I can remember as a young mama and some mischievous act had incurred, I was so quick to want to retaliate by some type of physical punishment. Then I realized that the act of retaliation would make me feel better, but would it serve to teach my child a lesson or teach them that problems were solved with hitting?
I remember reaching for a wooden spoon or even once a wet dish cloth to “pop” the offender. My husband was a shoe thrower as they walked away still “mouthing” rude words.
No disciplining my children was rather easy as I learned with age but to discipline my grandchildren, especially the only little girl in the whole bunch, well that is a whole new conundrum.
Due to the time and extent of her daddy being in a hospital so far away, I have become her stand-in mama and I am having lots of trouble dishing out the penance for said misdemeanors. She is a little blond-haired blue-eyed beauty that can set her attitude from precious to precociously unruly and willful in a matter of seconds. One minute she’s helping me vacuum the floors and the next pouring out a shaker of salt and pepper on said floor. And I never turn my back on her, or I walk back into a calamity of sorts.
But with all this said I have to tell you that our family prayed for her for many years and our God was so gracious to hear and answer our prayers that I just have so much trouble giving out the penalty for said infraction. Hit her? Never! Threaten her with thumps? Never! I just take her to my rocking chair and love on her and tell her how I know she misses her mama and that we will work all this trouble out some way. Am I too permissive? Oh yes. Do I handle her rebellions the same way I dealt with her mamas? Absolutely not, she’s my only granddaughter.
So, you see there’s that most significant thin line that runs between discipline and penance. Am I going to “spare the rod”? You betcha!
Thanksgiving is almost here so here is another of my go to sides.
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
6 Medium sized sweet potatoes baked, (if you bake them more of the sweetness comes out that you lose when you boil them.) 2 large beaten eggs, 1 cup of sugar, ½ cup of Pet milk, ½ stick of melted butter, 1 t. vanilla. Mix well and pour into a 9 x 13 pan.
TOPPING – ½ cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup of flour, ½ stick melted butter, 1 cup of chopped pecans, 1 cup of miniature marshmallows. Mix all together and cover the top of casserole.
325* oven for 30 minutes
