Raising Kids That Don’t Disappoint Series

Life Simplified

Raising Kids that Don’t Disappoint

November 13, 2011

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. Proverbs 22:15

INTRODUCTION

Happy children are children with boundaries and who are well disciplined. Children who respond well to their parents and other authority will generally excel better in the class room and on the sports field. There is nothing better than a child who has the self-discipline to achieve and work towards goals.

How do you discipline children ?

In a survey of more than 2,000 parents of children between the ages of 2 and 11,

38% were using the same discipline methods their own parents used on them as a child.

45% of the parents using time-outs as a disciplinary action.

42%removed their child’s privileges,

13% who resorted to yelling

9% who opted to spank their children. Here is the bummer

31% of participants reported they believed their methods were not effective !

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse has released an extensive study on teens and substance abuse. Their main finding was that "teens whose parents have established rules in the house have better relationships with their parents and a substantially lower risk of smoking, drinking, and using illegal drugs than the typical teen."

The study discovered that the successful parents habitually did at least 10 of the following 12 actions:

Monitor what their teens watch on TV

Monitor what their teens do on the Internet.

Put restrictions on the CDs they buy.

Know where their teens are after school and on weekends.

Are told the truth by their teens about where they really are going.

Are "very aware" of their teens academic performance.

Impose a curfew.

Make clear they would be "extremely upset" if their teen used pot.

Eat dinner with their teens six or seven nights a week.

Turn off the TV during dinner.

Assign their teen regular chores.

Have an adult present when the teens return home from school.

Pete Hartogs, "Study: Rules Improve Parent-Child Relationship," CNN Online (02-21-01); submitted by Jerry De Luca, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.

 A PROVERBS-DRIVEN LIFE ACCEPTS THE CALLING TO RAISE CHILDREN AS A TASK DELEGATED AND DIRECTED BY GOD.

This is the great calling of every parent and by extension the parent’s support network.

I. Presuppostions

* Children are a great gift. -- Psalm 127: 3-5

Children are a great gift.

Ps 127: 3 Children are a gift from the Lord;

they are a reward from him.

4 Children born to a young man

are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.

5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!

He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

* And a Trust -- Ephesians 6:4

Ephesians 6:4

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. (NLT)

* Discipline of children is a major focus of Proverbs

"Fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Pr. 1:7)

"My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when He corrects you. For the Lord corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights." (Pr. 3:11)

* Note that correction in not automatically associated with punishment.

But let’s be clear that when Proverbs speaks of "discipline" it has in view quite a range of activities.

II. Discipline Defined

What do you think of when you hear the word discipline?

Proverbs 12:1 says, "To learn, you must love discipline" (NLT).

For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life, Proverbs 6:23

In Proverbs, "discipline" includes instruction, teaching, training and correction.

A. teaching

* involve imparting knowledge;

B. training

* involves all sorts of coaching and preparation;

22:6 - Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

C. correcting

* involves identifying errors and urging their removal.

"Corrective discipline is the way to life." (Pr. 6:23)

"People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray." (Pr. 10:17)

"If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding."(Pr. 15:32)

Appl: We don’t discipline kids because we’re angry. We do it because or teaching training correcting. Why do you discipline.

III. Discipline’s Motivation

A. For our children’s sake

Proverbs 13:24 (NLT)

24 Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.

Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.