A couple of days ago I was in Aldi, bagging up my groceries, and I witnessed a parenting tragedy right before my eyes.

NP and I will never claim to be perfect parents – who is? Every child on the planet has public melt downs and tantrums and issues… because we are fallen and depraved, and remember – our children are born little fools! But seriously, I don’t understand how people don’t step back and realize that their kid is unbelievably out of control.

A little boy, about four years old, was there with his apparent mother and grandmother. I watched as time and time again they would give him an instruction and he would defiantly yell, “No!” and give them a command in return. And they would cave. Every single time.

The phrase “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” actually went through my mind – it was going to be the title of this post, but I thought I might get weird hits from google! :)

Think back to the Folly of Fools post – these were points summarizing the description of a fool in Proverbs:

• A fool hates instruction and guidance. He thinks too highly of his own perspective to seek wisdom and understanding from others.

• The fool is in rebellion against authority, both divine and human, and refuses to receive instruction.

• His mouth quickly betrays his foolish heart – he is recognizable for lying, slandering, using perverse speech, babbling constantly and refusing to hear input from those who actually have something worthwhile to say, and stirring up conflict with his words.

• He is quick-tempered and does not hold back his anger.

• The fool delights in evil and mocks at sin.

Hmmm… sounds a lot like an out of control kid in Aldi, doesn’t it?

I really like watching Super Nanny. I don’t see it often, though, as it nearly sends NP over the edge.  There are so many families that are in utter chaos because they do not have wisdom when it comes to parenting. Somewhere along the way, our culture has lost the idea of children being little fools who need discipline and guidance to form them into wise adults.

Remember Proverbs 22:15 –

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.”

Kids need discipline! They need boundaries, they need consistency. Want to show genuine love for your child? Discipline him! Proverbs 3:12 says,

“For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

If this is how God parents us, shouldn’t we sit up and take notice?

Much of the reason I feel so deeply about this is my own burden for how our culture has lost the fear of the Lord. My three year old has a decent grasp on theology for a preschooler, but there is much that she is simply unable to comprehend because of age and cognitive development. She can’t really understand the concept of fearing God, but she can understand the concept of fearing her parents! This is not fear of being harmed in any way… this is a proper reverence for authority. She knows we love her deeply and unconditionally and will never harm her – and she also knows that she must obey or she will face consequences.

Discipline is much more than finding a way to get your kid to go grocery shopping without making a scene. Discipline is a life and death issue. If parents fail to teach their children to submit, if the foolishness deeply embedded in their hearts is never removed from them, if they are only rewarded for rebellion… when will they learn to fear the Lord? And where will a life of folly lead them?

“For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
But he who listens to [wisdom] shall live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Proverbs 1:32-33

Photo from Parents magazine