Reproof and correction are withdrawals from the bank
by Michael Davidsen
The headmistress at The Common Room writes about this about discipline, “Reproof and correction are withdrawals from the bank.”
That makes me think.
- Discipline is not an absolute, as if it had to be applied in every situation, for every offense, in the same way, or else our children will lose track of what’s right and wrong.
- Discipline is an aspect of love, or it’s worth nothing. There is no dichotomy between love and discipline, as I’ve said before, as if you had to choose to stop loving your children in order to discipline them.
- Discipline is an expression of love, but your children have to be taught that. Yes, their first reaction to unpleasant consequences may not be pleasant. They have to know that you love them before you discipline them.
- The righteous life is a joyful life. You’re not teaching your children how to play a shell game, where they can never find the prize until some unknown future date in a future place. Joy happens right now. Show them what real joy means, both by your example and through their experience.
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