The Mystery of Discipline - Blog Posts by Sally Clarkson

I was just catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs, one of which is written by my aunt, author and speaker to Mothers, Sally Clarkson.

She had two posts that are called the "Mystery of Discipline". I thought some of you may enjoy the helpful tips and encouragement to think beyond the frustration of the moment of a child not obeying.

If you are like me, you will read through her helpful suggestions and think "yeah, I know that but ..."! As a busy parent raising two kids, sanity goes out the door the minute the almost 2 year old throws a brand new bottle of Pace Picante sauce and watches it shatter, screams while he is in time out for the action and then takes it out on his sister (BIG BITE), all with no time to spare before the tardy bell. Ummm, no, this doesn't happen in my house :-) The idea of "training up a child" goes out the window with a "don't ever do it again" and "I'm sorry you are going to be late for school, again". But, what most parents need a reminder from time to time that punishment may not be the most appropriate consequence for the action. I especially appreciate the second article that asks good, child centered questions that may have lead up to the misbehavior in the first place, like, maybe someone was hungry and chips and dip sounded like a good idea at the time.

Anyway, I hope you take a moment to read these articles, because, in all seriousness, God has given each of us a precious gift in our children and we should show the same love, discipline and grace to our children as He has shown us.

Mystery of Discipline Part One
Mystery of Discipline Part Two

If you want more information, Clay Clarkson, my uncle, wrote a book, "Heartfelt Discipline". I have a copy in my office that you can check out or you can got to their website to order a copy for yourself. The address is under the links box to the side of the blog.