Prov 23:13-14
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
14 Punish him with the rod
and save his soul from death.

Is the punishment term we call time out in the bible? Have our laws went against God's instructions? Is proverbs a book we read very little of, and practice much less? Would we be much more successful and content if we did? We are saved by grace, not of works, but if we followed the instructions Proverbs, would our life be more successful here on earth? Even though some ignore the free gift of grace and eternal life, would following proverbs make us more successful on earth? The American Jewish citizens have most of the US wealth, even though most do not profess Christ, if there a connection here?

my parents spanked me and I turned out fine.(well, I'm not an ax murderer anyway!)

I have spanked my children, they haven't died from a couple of swats with my hand to their bottomside.

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Melissa

The only "time out" my kids get is the few minutes between the infraction and me finding the wooden spoon or the hickory switch. When I call a "time out" they know I'm fixin' to kick a field goal! lol

Listen, each child responds differently. One of our boys can be brought back into line simply by a certain look I give him. Another one of our boys thinks the crime is worth whatever punishment he may get. And the other two fall somewhere in between.

If "time out" works... then use it. Altho I think it doesnt work most of the time, that is my opinion. That is something you need to work out with God.

But God seems to refer to the rod when dealing with children... and NOT in an abusive way.

Krispy

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Josh Parsley

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Bill

The reason we have so many rebellious and wayward children today is because parents have abdicated their responsibilities and not corrected their children properly or taught them the difference between right and wrong. There is only so much ‘negotiating’ and ‘talking things over’ you can do with a child. The child needs to know who is boss; they need to know early that yes means yes and no means no. And Mum and Dad must speak as one voice, backing each other up, sorting out differences away from the child. Your word to the child must be truthful. For example, if you say, “next time you do that I’ll punish you by …..”, and he does it, then carry out the punishment. Don’t threaten again and not carry out the punishment. Your word cannot be trusted. The child will respect you much more if you stand by your word. If you think you have made a mistake, then you can always apologise to your child.

If God corrects us, then He expects us to correct our own children. If we resist God’s correction, he calls us bastards! Quite strong language! Hebrews 12:8 "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."

There are plenty of verses, especially in Proverbs, to encourage us to discipline our children, because God disciplines us: here are a few verses that go against current worldly trends, but are biblical:

Proverbs 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Proverbs 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 29:17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Let the punishment be appropriate for the child and the misdemeanour - make sure they know why they are being punished. But after the punishment go and make peace with your child and let them know you love them.

Suzy

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Sue

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Jordan

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Jeff Mollman