Raising Resilient Children

Proverbs 23:13 If you spank them, it will not kill them. In fact, you might save their lives.

The old biblical adage that those who spare the rod spoil the child has become rather politically incorrect these days. And, yes, there are far better ways of disciplining our children than beating them. But discipline them, we must!

I’ve had a hand in bringing up five children in my life … and there are two things I can tell you firsthand. Number one – I was far from the perfect father. Number two – bringing up kids is one of the toughest gigs you’ll ever face in life.

Sure, there are good times – lots of them! But some days it takes nerves of steel. And it’s a marathon, demanding levels of endurance that none of us ever imagined we’d be capable of.

But it’s an investment that for the most part yields incredible dividends. I love seeing how my kids have grown up into decent, respectful, effective members of society, and parents themselves.

And yet, to realise that dividend, you have to make the investment … and that ain’t always easy.

Proverbs 23:13-14 If you spank them, it will not kill them. In fact, you might save their lives.

As I said, I think there are indeed more effective ways of disciplining kids these days, but discipline them we must. The modern day trend of spoiling children quite clearly results in spoilt adults without the resilience they need to face life.

As Michael Anderson of Focus on the Family puts it: “For most of our kids, their life will be more difficult than they anticipate. And it’s our job to get them resilient enough to face that.”

Always correct children when they need it. You might well save their lives.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.