I hope you have taken the time to read Parts 1 and 2 of this series. The last part of the series will cover Discipline.  I also hope that you are sharing this with your friends and families.

Discipline in Both Home and School

I remember when I was young, discipline was strong and steady in our home. If my parents said they were going to do something as a consequence, you knew they would follow through. The same was felt in school. I remember having to go to the Principal’s office, and needless to say, that was the one and ONLY time I went! What happened to discipline in school?

When I was raising my children, I tried to have the same rules and similar punishment as my parents, however, the punishment had to “fit the crime.” There was no one punishment per act. 

Today, I believe many parents are afraid to discipline their children. Whether it is verbal or a physical punishment , punishing a child seems to be frowned upon. Many parents that I have spoken to feel afraid to do anything towards their children due to media coverage, State or Local services getting involved, or they fear their children will retaliate. Many parents also take the role of “friend” with their children, instead of “parent.”

It is a parent’s responsibility to discipline their children. While shopping I always hear young mothers yelling (loudly at times) at their children, but I often wonder if they follow through once away from the store. Does that child get a time out or is the incident forgotten? How are our children supposed to learn right from wrong, if there are no consequences for their actions?

I recently heard of a heart breaking story where four young men in high school (ages 16, 17, and 18) drugged and gang raped a girl from their school. They bragged to others about it and were turned in by another student that was sick from their actions. How has our world come to this? Why do kids think they can do anything they want and not be held accountable?

I believe it starts at home. We as parents (and grandparents) must take a stand and take back our rights to raise well-respected, well-behaved, and well-mannered children.

Please join with me to take on this challenge. We need to put God back in our life, school, and workplace. We need to monitor what our children are being exposed to with videos, movies, computers, and television. And, most of all, we need to discipline our children when they need it. If we don’t do this now, I believe that there will be more senseless killings by our young adults.