Friday, March 22, 2013

Punishment Signs: Why I Think They're Harmful


I read an article online talking about how parents are beginning to use signs or t-shirts that has written on them things that their child has done wrong. It’s a form of punishment that has taken off with some of today’s parents. At first, I laughed a little bit when I saw a boy holding a sign that said, “I was sent to school to get an education NOT to be a bully…I was not raised this way!!!” I laughed because I was bullied as a kid and thought that the sign was clever but after seeing more and more incidents of this type of punishment I have begun to see how it can cause more harm than good. The following is my convictions that I simply want to share. Please read and see my points. I hope it influences you for the better.

If we are to model ourselves after Christ and to show God’s love and grace then we must do so with our own kids. The way they view their relationship with you, their parent, will be the way they will potentially view their relationship with God the Father in the future. We don’t want to skew their perception of what a loving parent should be.

Before I go any further I want to make it known that I am not a father yet. So, with that said, I will be speaking from my past experiences and what I have learned throughout my academic studies of family and child development—along with biblical perspectives on the matter, of course.

Does God make us hold or wear signs that tell the world about our sins?
Does He embarrass us into becoming obedient?
Does He turn our punishment into a joke?

The answer for all three of these questions is NO….especially the last one. Our punishment was no joke. God sent His son Jesus to take on our punishment. The fact that God took our punishment as His own speaks strongly as to how you should approach punishing your kids! It literally hurt God more than it hurt us.

Of course, you’re not God and the consequence of your kid’s actions is not death but if you are to parent your child the way God wants you to then you are to experience more pain and discomfort than your kid. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying that your kids shouldn’t feel the weight of their bad decisions. What I am saying is that you are to love them and show them that their decisions and behavior has consequences. You are not to enjoy the punishment. It is not for amusement, it is for teaching what is right. Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. (NLT)” The way you discipline your child matters. If what you command of your child is unreasonable and severe then they will become irritated and possibly miss the whole point of what is trying to be taught. Is that really how it’s supposed to be? On top of that timing is everything!

I believe that the rod does its work only when a child is a child. If not used until teen years, it’s too late. Many people these days don’t value the method of disciplining their child through the use of corporal punishment—which is a shame! Although I see their point in that there has been a long history of abuse from parents who do respond out of anger instead of a calm and collected mind. I get that! Absolutely! But it is better for the welfare of a child to receive the appropriate measures. While there are some kids who require corporal punishment in order to learn, there are children who require other means of discipline such as showing disapproval towards their actions. My wife, as a little girl, would cry her eyes out simply because her parents would show disapproval towards her bad behavior. She valued how her parents viewed her and that was sufficient enough for her as a means of discipline. However, for other children who can care less of what other people think about them, the rod keeps them from spoiling. (Side note: depriving children of toys only does so much, and ignoring behavior in hopes of not feeding them your attention is what has gotten this nation of kids in the state that they are! Seriously.)
 
Garden Example:
Now, tomatoes are a very delicate thing, much like children, and if the garden isn’t kept up and no attention is shown then the odds of the tomatoes growing into rip, healthy tomatoes is lowered tremendously. And if a tomato spoils during the growth process and it rots then there is no going back for that tomato. It is what it is. It’s no good.

Just like with the garden, if the child is not shown attention and/or dealt with when they disobey or do something wrong/harmful then they will not learn what is acceptable or appropriate—therefore their being spoiled. And that only contributes to more ignorant and “uncalled for” issues in their future.

Now, teenagers are not to be treated like tomatoes. We can’t throw them out simply because they were spoiled in their childhood. That would be heartless and inhumane. Plus, teenagers face enough abandonment issues as it is. But what needs to be done is NOT found in the method of using signs that point out their shortcomings. The spoiled teens will only be pushed further away from their parents/adult influences. Even the non-spoiled teens will be like…”really?” As mentioned in my previous blog-post teenagers are not capable of always making the wisest decisions (immature prefrontal lobe). But you, the parent, should be wise in how you respond and discipline.

Teenagers want and need parents/adults in their lives to teach them important lessons. And the best way for us to do this is through relationships because that is how teenagers learn the best. It’s not through corporal punishment so much. I remember when I was a teenager and I received a whipping a few times. Guess what I learned about what I did wrong? Not too much. I mainly felt angry…regardless to the fact that my parents didn't respond with anger. If a few other teens that have experienced this were to add a few words here they would probably say something along the same lines. But the number one thing that I had to have in order to keep me accountable to being obedient to my parents was TRUST. I trusted that my parents knew what was best for me because they responded appropriately and with love. Never once did my parents turn a discipline moment into a joke. Doing so kept their credibility as wise parents to me.

If teens don’t trust or like an adult then they’re not going to want to develop a meaningful relationship with them or heed to what they have to say. If parents don’t have their teen’s trust then making them hold signs telling the world about how much of a screw up they are is NOT going to help. It only creates a bigger rift between the teen and parent. I’m not saying that parents are supposed to be their teen’s best friend—I’m saying that they should be approachable and humble when teaching what’s right and what’s wrong.

As said in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, “You can teach a child all you know but one day…they are who they are.” And there will be a point in time where you’ll have to accept that and TRUST that God will always keep His hand on their life. Parents can only do so much to teach but it’s up to the child to learn. I promote healthy, meaningful relationship over the stupid sign method.

God doesn't make us wear a sign of all our bad decisions or sins.
He doesn't embarrass us into obedience.
He didn't turn our punishment into a joke.
It hurt Him more than it hurt us to see His son on the Cross. Remember that.
Be wise. Be calm.
Be loving.
Your kids perception of God will be influenced by how you treat them.

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