When couples plan for kids, they tend to wait until "the perfect time" because they go through thousands of scenarios of made up fear. Some of those worries include, not having enough money, the car is too small, the need for a bigger house, a better neighborhood, the lack of family support, or the possibility of the child having a birth defect. None of those worries included the word discipline.
In the first trimester (11-13 weeks) of pregnancy, doctors conduct tests for certain birth defects that are related to the baby's heart or chromosomal disorders. Can you imagine waiting on the call from the doctor with those test results? I read a story of a lady who found out that she was carrying a child that was already suffering the fatal effects of Zellweger Syndrome. Most infants that are diagnosed with this do not survive past the first 6 months, and usually succumb to respiratory distress, liver failure, or gastrointestinal bleeding. Even with this news, this couple were determined to trust God and made the decision to have the baby.
So now I will get to the point. This couple decided to bring this child into the world knowing that there is no cure or standard course of treatment for their infant. You can consider them responsible, caring, God fearing, or whatever heroic word you would like to use. But let's look at all of the other parents around the world and their willingness to bring a life into this world. There are roughly 250 babies born every minute. At the beginning of that baby's life, those parents are charged with ensuring that child is protected from harm, provided food, medical care, education, safety, supervision, and financial support, also, the biggest thing they are charged with is discipline, "the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience."
How many parents fail to put this practice into place? Are they afraid to hurt their child's psyche, are they trying to be politically correct, or maybe they want them to be best buddies. Children need structure in their lives and the parents that don't offer this to their child usually have unhappiness, fear, and worry in their lives. When disciplining your child, ensure the punishment "fit’s the crime," be firm and fair and stay consistent. Many parents either threaten but never follow through or are too harsh. Think about those parents that received the news that their child’s life expectancy is very short or the parents that have to continue to stay in the hospital due to their child having some type of illness.
Those parents were charged with the same responsibilities as the "healthy" children parents. Don't leave parenting up to the schools, the church, friends, or other family members. It's true, it takes a village to raise a child, but it also take strong parenting at the beginning to provide a strong foundation for others to build upon. It's not guaranteed that your child will be perfect or you will have happiness and peace of mind, but you will find disciplining your kids is worth the effort and your efforts will be rewarded. #SPEAK2MYHEART
