Back before we had kids, we had a pretty good idea of what good parenting looked like. Sure, we did have the unrealistic idea or two, but we also had friends who were great parents. We learned a lot from watching them.
We observed something we’ve called Get Off The Couch, and here’s how it works. When the kid is playing and it’s time to change into his jammies, instead of hollering at him from the couch, the parent gets up and stands near him, providing whatever encouragement or guidance is necessary. If the parent stay on the couch, the kid knows he has 5 or 10 minutes more to play, until the parent gets angry enough to do what they should have done in the first place: get off the couch.
For the most part, this method works well. But in matters of discipline, like fashion, one size does not fit all. Every kid is wired differently, and what’s more, what works for one family won’t necessarily work for another.
Being creative about discipline wears me out many days. There’s lots we do right, and plenty of mistakes we make as we work with our kids. It was good for me to be reminded of this today: Don’t look for the easiest method of discipline; look for the best. What may be convenient may not be correct.
Wait, didn’t I write about this yesterday? (School for the Gifted: push harder!)
Today, I’m going to be asking for strength, wisdom, and fresh creativity in disciplining my kids. The end goal isn’t that they learn to obey us as parents, but that they learn to follow God and stay close to Him.
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