So now we know how not to discipline. Fortunately, the Bible has a lot to say about how we should discipline. God's Word says: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." The Bible also says, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves his son is quick to discipline him."
I have explained this verse to my children in the following way:
"Imagine a daddy or mommy who does not love their children. They do not care if their children are good or bad. They do not care if their children grow up to do bad things and go to jail. They do not care if their children grow up to know Jesus or not. When their children do a bad thing, like lying or disobeying, their parents do not care about helping them to become better. They don’t ever punish their children because they don’t care what happens to them. That’s why the Bible says, ‘He who spares the rod hates his son.’"
"Daddy and I love you very much. We want you to grow up to be God’s children and follow Jesus. We want you to learn to obey God. If you do not learn to obey Daddy and me, it will be hard for you to learn to obey God later. We have to punish you sometimes because that will help you to make a better choice next time. If we never punished you, you would not have a reason to try to behave better. That is why the Bible says, ‘He who loves his son is quick to discipline him.’"
Children as young as three or four years old can understand these basic truths, and actually see the value of correction.
