Should you discipline in anger?
When I was a child, I read child psychology books. Just to make sure my parents were raising me correctly.
One of them said you should never discipline children in anger. You might hurt them.
Another said that you must always discipline your child in anger. How can they possibly understand why you’re bringing suffering into their life, unless they can see that you’re angry with them? Cold, calm discipline would warp their tiny psyches.
How about another alternative? How about disciplining your children in righteousness and justice? Parents should be able to say, “You’re not getting my goat. You’re not getting control of my emotions. And my emotions aren’t controlling me. But I need to correct what you did. Because it was wrong.”
Tomorrow I’ll tell the first of two stories to illustrate what I mean.
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