Authority, Discipline and Respect

Authority, Discipline, and Respect

Podcast #219

Do you have authority to discipline your children and earn their respect? How can we successfully parent when our kids are not respectful and won’t follow our directions? That is a struggle many families confront no matter what time of the year. In this podcast episode, Felice Gerwitz tackles this problem with experience from a long-time mom and homeschool mom with practical and insightful suggestions.

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Show Notes: Authority, Discipline, and Respect.

Sadly, many of you may not get along with your own parents, perhaps there are some hurts or unforgiveness of past wrongs. Unfortunately for many, the way they regard their parents is the way they regard God – especially a Father figure. The Bible talks about a loving father – and if your maternal father was not loving there is not much to go on …

Authority:

Authority is the ability or power to give orders, command, control, or rule – it sounds harsh!
Parental authority is the power to give instruction to your children
It allows us to in essence shape and form their behavior
Basically – authority gives us the “right” by sheer power of birth to parent our children.

Discipline

This is the enforcement of our parental rights of authority
Setting up the rules
Teaching our children to obey the rules
Teaching our children self-restraint and self-control (model this and it will work beautifully)
Allows for punishment and correction (pray for solution – it works!)

Respect

Esteem regarding another person
We admire or look up to them
We respect them – honor them

How do we earn our children’s respect? How do we discipline with the authority of God in a way that is successful? After this quick commercial break…

Younger:

Be consistent
Be firm – do not back down
Do not expect your child to parent others
Take parenting books and suggestions with a grain of salt. What works for one child does not work for all
Around 2 – explain rules. You will wear a seat belt in the car, you will hold my hand when we get out of the car. You will sit in the cart when we get into the store.
Use a wall chart when practicing new rules
Play act – practice – them coming

Middle:

Discipline wrong behavior – “bad” isn’t a good term – I’m not trying to be politically correct here, but telling a kid they are bad doesn’t tell them what they did wrong. Explain.
Punishment fits the crime (chips)
CONSISTENCY
Clever solutions – pray
Practice – if needed

Older:

Creative solutions – taking away electronic devices, privileges
Be careful of intent. Knowing your child’s reason for disobedience here is the key to future issues – why is there a disruption in trust or authority? What has been done to break that bond of trust?
Puppy analysis – especially for homeschool kids. Who are your kids bonding with? Friends? Kids at church? On the sports field?
Listen – important – spend time in discussing and talking to your children. Listen to what is on their hearts
Night time – unlocking the key to their hearts

Scripture verses:

Psalms 103:13

“He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to those who reverence him”

Proverbs 3:12

“For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father the son in whom he delights”

Matthew 7:11

“And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?”