Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs ᴡɪᴛʜ Cʜᴜᴄᴋ
Sunday Journal Series
This'll be a series I think I'll do on Sundays. Not sure if anyone reads my journals, but if you do I hope these will be beneficial to you. It's not going to be like church though, not at all so don't freak out and think this series is going to be super boring. I'm more of a philosopher kind of guy who wants to help people live happier lives, and I find that biblical teachings really do help people live happier lives regardless of whether they believe in Jesus or not. Does that mean I don't want you to believe in Jesus? No, I really do want everyone to come to know God, but I'm not going to force it down anyone's throats because I know I wouldn't like it forced down my own. More of what this series will be will just have to do with what I've been thinking about and how it relates to living a good, peaceable life.
Proverbs 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
I used to work with kids and this is a really important passage for parents and future parents to understand. Discipline is important for a child, as when they are young their values are easier to shape. You can sit your child down and teach them what is right and what is wrong, but unless there are visible and physical consequences for that your words will carry little weight. When I was growing up my mom hit me with a belt when I did something wrong. Most parents these days wouldn't do such a thing because they're scared their kids would hate them or some other stupid reasons. My mom didn't care because she just wanted me to do what was right. She had a belt, wooden sandal, and a bamboo broom that she alternated between when I got in trouble.
Looking back, I'm reminded of how I felt towards my mom. I hated and feared her all the time. I never wanted to tell her things or talk to her when I knew I was going to get in trouble for something. I was exactly what most parents feared, a kid who hated their parents. Now that I'm an adult, I'm best friends with my mom. I love my mom and would give anything to her in a heartbeat if she asked. The reason why is because now that I am an adult and capable of critical thinking, I understand what my mom was doing and why she did it. My mom had a very tragic upbringing that led to her only having a 5th grade education among other barriers in her life. She struggled so much and eventually made her way to America where she married my dad. I understand that she was trying to teach me to be better than she was and to take advantage of the opportunities she never had. I understand that she didn't want me to become spoiled like everyone else. She kept me from making crappy decisions that would have messed up my life just by disciplining me when I was a kid, and I am so thankful for that.
Now does that mean I'm telling you to go to Walmart and buy wooden sandals, belts, and try to find whatever kind of bamboo broom my mom had? No! What I am telling you is that discipline is important. There are other ways to do it. I have a friend who has 13 kids and his main punishment for them is to spank them when they are young and to have them stand nose against the wall for 10-15 minutes. Sometimes he falls asleep and the kid is there for an hour, which is pretty funny, but I do sympathize for them. He tells me that he disciplines them by spanking to because when they are young they have a physical connection of pain to the bad action they took. He then has them stand against the wall for 10-15 minutes and doesn't tell them a thing. During that time they naturally reflect on the stupid thing they just did and think about all the time that they are wasting on the wall. I can tell you, this really does work. His kids are amazing, disciplined and respectful, with a few exceptional things I have scolded them for doing while their dad was out of town and I happened to be loitering at their place.
Anyway, I think that'll do for today. Consider this a new outlook on discipline. I have more to say, but at that point I'd just be citing repetitive stories and examples of good and bad parents, and no one wants to sit through that. Have an amazing Sunday!
