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Article by John Piper: "Parents, Require Obedience of Your Children" https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/parents-require-obedience-of-your-children
Welcome back to the point-taking podcast. This is like one of my favorite times of the week, I love doing this stuff. I have already watched The episode from last time that aired yesterday. I already watched it.
I watched it on the drive back from the camping trip yesterday with four other guys. So, you know, I hope you weren't driving. I wasn't. Well, no, you didn't listen. That's the thing though. That's the thing.
I watched it on David Abbott's phone and there were four guys in the truck and only counts as one view.
Like who's listening and then you got to click on the video and drag it on like go back and oh. Then I've got to go.
To get to get the comments up. Yeah Cynthia Bartmer commented on it. We got everyone watching it. I had someone comment on Matt Atkins podcast on Satanism this morning. Oh, yeah and I had someone else this morning talk about the public school and how that helped them understand like what I've got to protect them.
I've heard a lot of good things about that episode about how it changed their perspective and what they took away from is oh. It's my job. I can use whatever tool I want. But at the end of the day, it's my job whether I use a private school whether I do it at home.
Whether I use a county or a public school, it's my job. These are all tools to make that happen. So anyway, yeah today we were talking about the Christian and parenting. How should a Christian train or discipline? their children.
Whether that's punishment whether that's teaching so on and so forth and we have varied experience here. So we're gonna talk about that today. We have Evan Wiesner the man the myth the legend. We have Gwynn Shipley aka mom just a pastor just has my mom and then we have Regular favorite host Anna.
I've heard a lot of things people like yeah.
There's this one podcast that didn't have you in it and I didn't watch. I was like.
Well, you should still watch the podcast like I'm not I told you know the be all end all our views go down when you're.
Not there. I appreciate you. Well, I'm definitely gonna actually watch this next podcast that I was on last week.
It was me hunter and Mike Burkett. I mean the staying on topic thing didn't have. It's like that one time when we first started and it was Amy Elena Carissa.
It was the first time that I was on. Don't air it I told. I told pastors like do not.
And we should have all four of them. I'd take some in vigilance. How'd it go? My favorite one was Anna. She takes make said pastor. I was honest. We tried. I was honest with him. Elena said when the Podcast was over which lasted an hour and a half John said so what was the topic and he had?
He sat in here, that's awesome. He said I guess what was the topic no one knows.
So the D and really quick and then we can go on the D &D episode that we did a couple of weeks ago Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, you know that I asked a little how many how much or how many quotes of Monty Python?
Did you have to cut out because I felt like that was the majority. He's like Not a decent amount in there and then there are some other ones he's like, you know, I kept all the Lord of the Rings ones.
Like that was the majority of it is so here's what I'd like to do. We're gonna start with something Anna's done before a little bit of an encouragement say something that made you joyful or grateful or thankful.
That's happened here recently. Something that you can look back and say I'm really thankful and grateful for that it brought joy to me. So I'll go and then Anna will go and then we'll have our guest mom and Evan go so I'll go first.
I Got to go on this camping trip with the men this past week. And the reason why is because I've been pretty bummed because you know, I'm taking somebody's that's okay. There's power and repetition. We as a church, we're supposed to be in Israel right now.
That's where we're supposed to be as of yesterday. It was supposed to be in Jerusalem and we're not there now, obviously. Based on recent news reports that is the Lord provision, but still I was pretty upset past week.
But I got to go on the men's camping trip and I had a great time I laughed a Lot. I had fun. We caught a lot of fish. We ate good. It was good fellowship. So I'm very thankful that I never saw a cloud in two and a half days and I'd see a single cloud heard.
It got really cold Friday. No morning. You heard that from those who don't know how to camp. It felt wonderful. It was 30 degrees. It does not play in those mountains anyway whether Next year you're coming with me.
Yeah planet where I'm not at work. No, I'll just tell your chief it is what it is. No, sure. That's how that works. If you're watching this chief, you are an awesome man, but next year he's coming with me.
Yeah, that's how that works. So that brought me joy didn't go on that.
Well mine is similar in the fact that I was going to mention our women's retreat the weekend before last but also Just getting to fellowship with those women of all different walks of life, and then I was actually able to share a part of my testimony in the God's calling for obedience for our lives and how beautiful that changed and I got you know, I got slapped in the face with I Guess the reality of like how God has kept his promises like in the middle of all that and that was just very Humbling.
Because God calls you to do something and you're worried. Well, like what about this? What about this? What about this and you just worry about all the what-ifs and then he calls you to it and you can look back and like I was provided for in each of those times.
So I was literally slapped in the face with that in the middle of the testimony and was brought to tears. So that was and then I've had other people come up to me since then saying That their testimony is something that they're going through like where my testimony is like what they're going through right now is some of the same callings so that was just really nice to see God being able to use that too, so.
It was mean. Hmm either one of y 'all. Okay.
You know when you hit my age, I'm plus 50 60 All around me not at our church. But just in the world in general you see husbands and wives going further apart and I was blessed yesterday to have a husband that planned a day for he and I to be together and it didn't go as.
We expected our very first out and we hopped on the motorcycle and we were going to help another Family in our church move and then we had some fun things. We're gonna do together. And the bike broke down and you know the frustration of.
You know a couple of our sons came over helped us. We towed it to the to the house and instead of just being discouraged or pouting or the day ending there I had a husband that just regrouped and said, all right.
Let's hop in the truck and we're going to then we're gonna yeah, and we had such a great day. No, it's fun.
That's awesome. I always love seeing you talk about you and your husband. I love just the joy cuz like you said at this point in age a lot of people are separated. Divorced. Whatever empty nesters and they don't know how to have relationships.
So it's refreshing as. Say like a young person. Being married for you know, eight years. Just to see that like there is hope. Eight years up. Yeah, you're. I'm about to say you're eight years next month.
Eight years.
Cute. Intentional. You just have to be intentional. That's right. Yeah, I just think it's really refreshing.
All right, Evan what you got for us man and Wednesday was just a fantastic day. For for once it's been a very rarity, but I got to read with with my daughter and my wife. Mmm, but the highlight of the day was like we just spent the day together.
Like Nadine came up and said I want to work out mommy daddy. Let's go work out. So I knew the wiser when he said it was a fantastic day was gonna involve some type of exercise. Yeah. Yeah so we get to go outside and play outside and just have fun and she did burpees and didn't complain and Just had a fantastic and like all the food was good.
Just I know there's like one those moments. You're looking around you're like, I can't believe like this is my life. Yeah, it's just so awesome. Like my wife and my daughter and I are all here being sweaty and it's great.
I used him as an example of perspective and how everything's matter perspective a few months ago. I asked Evan who's coaching Parker one of our SOG fighters who is fighting for the belt May 11th for attitude MMA at the Well thought the Memphis music room anymore.
They changed the name again, whatever that place is on Shelby Oaks by the fire station. Anyway, that's for attitude MMA May 11th at any rate. It's a former Shriner's temple. Yeah, they changed the name.
Anyway, the point is I Asked Evan how the workout went because he worked out Parker at like 9 a .m. On a Saturday morning. And this was during fight camp the gruel, right and Parker had like worked out Monday Tuesday Thursday night Friday night Saturday morning.
Okay, and Evan goes. Oh man, it went great. It was awesome. It went this we did this we did this we did this we did this and Then I asked Parker how to go and goes dude. It was rough. Miserable well, it was the exact same thing.
Do you do the workouts with them? Yes.
Working out to not just the other day the fighters.
Hey when he tells them to do like the hundred weighted burpees and though though, I mean the weighted spice. He doesn't with them. He doesn't and he smiles and they're not I'm not.
When dad was training you for your fights that didn't do. No.
The most work he would do is pull the brake on the bike. I was fooling it or something. There's a lot of times. They're like, oh, this is hard. I'm like, yeah. Why don't you stop talking and get to moving?
I'm already done and y 'all like the thing I always bouncing like alright. So I'm 10 years older than most of you or older than that. Yeah 10 plus years and y 'all are all tired and I'm not and I have a family and we don't get to sit around and I Work full-time.
Yeah, like I didn't get to go, you know train five days this week said nothing else to do with my time. So it's just like come on like are you 34? 36 in June 36. Oh Man, you're 30. No, not yet. 29. Mm-hmm.
I'm 31. And then mom 50 plus 50. For the third time that's what she told me it was a good year you go back.
No, I can't count the years. So I know I'm over 50.
I guess you're 52. No, you're 51 cuz July is your birthday and.
Today, I just feel like you get to a certain age and you you really have to start thinking about how old you are. I'm someone asked me like a couple years ago. I'm like, hold on. Then I'm just I really have to think about it.
It's kind of embarrassing. I'll just keep it in fives.
Yeah, like I'm around there somewhere between 35 or 40. I just I round up.
So it's round town, yeah.
So biblical child rearing biblical Discipline biblical instruction. What are some thoughts where you're at in life where you've been in life? And it's a big question, but I think we should start with miss Gwynn big question if you could give One or two pieces of advice to a Christian family with young kids.
Like these are two or three biggest things. That if you do these things at least the other little things you can work out later. But these are like the biggest things like you have to get this, right?
What are some advice you would get to that?
Consistency. You first you have to be consistent once you set up a rule and you communicate the expectation to the child. Which should start before a year old. If you've waited till three or four you can catch up.
But you are way behind the game. You need to be consistent and then. Secondly would be that you and your husband need to be on the same page. Y 'all need to have already discussed it come up with a plan and agreed on what's going to be.
The standard I'm going on this second thing. I feel like that's a big hang-up in. Well, I mean both of them are really big hang-ups. But in particular like the husband and wife the parents being on the same team.
Because you have the moms who are usually oh you were too hard on him. And you know like all the all the things or you know, the the husband might complain about like well. You were too soft on him. You needed to do like X Y Z.
So I think that's yeah.
You can have that discussion when you're alone. I keep hitting this thing. I know I'm making noise. You can have that discussion when you're alone. But that should that discussion should never happen in front of the kids ever.
Happen in front of the kids because y 'all are the ones that are the team. You have brought these children into the world and you are rearing them, but they're not part of your team, right? They're part of your family, but they're not part of your team.
Y 'all are the team.
Mm-hmm. I would definitely agree with that. I got I had a situation where I was over the top to the point that Nadine was just crying. She's you know four half and She's distraught, but she can't process what I'm saying, and I'm mad and I'm yelling and I'm loud and wife's just close.
Hey, can I talk to you for a sec? Left she didn't she said I'm not trying to get in the way of whatever you're doing. But just so you know you have her, you know at a ten and she can't process what you're telling her.
And I was so mad cuz I knew she was right. But she I mean she did it so respectfully and it was like really humbling for me. So it kind of actually helped me because it was my blind spot. I was already frustrated so the fact that she Spoke love because she was on my team.
She didn't berate me for well, you know, you're loud and being mean she said well She's not gonna hear you to do this. You can go whichever way you want, but just so you know This is where you're at. That's a good way word it like like says if you're on the same team you always have a blind spot and that's the best part about being a team because when you say You're leaning too far to the left.
That's right. Yes. I'm gonna bring you back in balance.
Well, we've had to do that and our son's a year and a half and. Adorable, I mean, I think so, but I'm biased. I think he's pretty stinking cute. He looks just like his dad's.
Crazy what so one of our friends said. But he now has more hair than he does.
We have one of our friends it's like if you put if you put a beard on him he would look just like your husband and. But going back off of what Evan was saying about, you know, like being on the same team there was a particular instance where my husband had told our son to do something and he didn't do it or you know, like whatever it was and My husband didn't say anything to him and Or he said like if you do XYZ like you're gonna get a spanking, you know, whatever and then he ended up doing XYZ.
And then my husband didn't do anything and I looked at him and I said you and I kind of spoke under my breath. So like deep my son couldn't hear us and I'm like you you told him that if you did that again then he's gonna get a spank and he goes he's like, yeah, and he you know spanked him did whatever and.
So that's one thing. I always try it like in in Evans wife's case I always try to be respectful. It's like hey I'm not trying to undermine you and I'm not saying that you're doing XY and Z right or wrong.
But it's like this is kind of like he said with the blind spots. I think that's really helpful. But coming from like The wife's side you want to respect your husband especially if it's in front of your children because then they're gonna see that and then they're like.
I'm not gonna have to respect mine, especially a mom of boys as they age. That dad needs to have a strong male voice in that family. Because it is just part of natural our fleshly Tendencies for that young man to be becoming a man and wanting to lead but it's not his place to lead his mother.
Yeah, and so you really need that dad to be solid in that position. So that you're not having to go to your husband say hey I know I've shunned you and didn't want your help all these years, but now I can't control your children.
Yeah, and I need you to step up and then the kids are resistant to the dad because where has he been forever? He wasn't that's good. He wasn't a major role in it. So you've got to think about those things and a lot of times you've got this cute adorable, baby.
Who wants to think about when they're 13? Well, you need to yes, it's coming.
Well one thing that you've said before you're like, you know, I don't want to raise good kids. I want to raise godly adults. Exactly. And that's one. Wow sad again. I don't want to raise good kids. I want to raise godly adults.
Your mom lives in my head. Rent-free. Like. That's t-shirt worthy. Well and then to one thing that she mentions we need a Witton.
Keyboard. Y 'all can start having podcast slogan t-shirts of good comments.
We could do stickers right there stickers. Yeah, we could do stickers and stuff for water bottles you you make it happen but another thing that Gwen is mentioned to because there was a situation where I was struggling with Having our son be obedient in the moment.
We were trying to teach him to say like yes, ma 'am. Yes, sir. No, sir. No, ma 'am all that stuff and he was doing something and like I was having one of those mood swing Moments when I was like early pregnant, I wasn't feeling good you know, I was like first trimester very tired sick like all the things and He just like was not obeying and so I'd spanked him a couple of times.
And like also he was doing his crying kind of like Evan said like he was out of ten like nothing that I was going To do was gonna you know, whatever so I'm like, okay I'm very familiar with I'm going to put him in his room because she's like asked me one time before that.
Well, do you do like timeouts? Do you ever just put him in his room if he's acting a certain way that you don't approve of and I was like No, and she goes why not and I'm like, I've just never thought of that.
Like I didn't think that you could do that like at this age I'm like, I don't. I said it just never occurred to me and I brought it up to my husband. He's like I didn't think about that either like it just it never occurred to us.
So anyway, so that ended up happening. I put him in his room. Let him cool down a little bit and let me cool down I was literally sitting in my kitchen room crying like getting the kitchen floor crying.
Because I just had it and so I was like texting our accountability group Which she's a member of and I'm just like this is what's happening. I've spanked him so many times I feel like I'm just being a jerk right now.
Like I've tried doing timeouts I would give him a chance to obey. He would not obey. I'm like, okay You're going to sit in here for X amount of minutes, you know, like whatever and I would come back and try to do that I was like, I just don't know what else to do and your mom mentioned or asked me.
Does he understand that he's disobeying does he understand the requests that you're making of him and like can he follow that and I'm like Yes, and she's like then like you're doing sometimes you just have hard days with them and that made me feel a lot better because it Made me feel like, you know I wasn't failing because you know as oftentimes we feel like we fail as parents.
Especially if it's your first time. A lot of parents question. How do I know when my kid can understand? Yeah, how do I know when when I am communicating with them if your kid can sign that they want milk?
You they can communicate. Yeah, that's good.
I started I started telling my son No at like eight to nine months old because he would try to reach over and either touch the outlet. You know he had covers or he would try to pull on the curtain. I'd be like, no no, you know you're being sweet at that point like no.
No, don't touch. And then he would go over there and he would go like that and look at me and I'm like, okay. So, you know and that's the thing people are like, oh kids like they don't know my kids are smart.
Like I said, he was eight months old and he knew he still knows. Yes, he's too smart for his own good, let me just tell a little story real quick. I want this recording on the internet forever. He knows he's not supposed to touch the dishwasher.
I have knives and stuff that I put in there all that stuff. Don't tell me he did one of those pretend fall into it things. No.
I would be really mad if he did that because I don't want him to break my dishwasher. That's one of the reasons too why I don't allow him to touch it because I don't want to impress him on the door. You know, whatever.
I don't want him messing with the things that are in there, whether they're clean or dirty so he knows he's not supposed to touch it and He was kind of over there doing whatever and Reaching for it and I'm like, I always snap with him because that catches his nose.
It's not like I'm good. I'm good. I've gotten good with him. But I point to him and I'm like don't touch that and then so what he does is he you know Has a toy or something whatever he takes the toy and touches the toy To the dishwasher because he's not touching it.
But the toys touching it and I'm just like I said, okay, that's a spanking. I said that's a spanking but the thing is like They know that so early. He's a year and a half. He's a year and he was doing that before he's a year and a half and it's like they know.
Yes, so when people like kids don't know I'm like, I don't believe that I have a child.
But you're trying to discipline and stop the rebellion. Yes, and it's not just disobedience. It's rebellion. It's you know, the old. Was it uh, the old adage the old adage. Sit down. Well, I'm standing up on the inside like I you try to crush that before it gets that far.
Yeah, people like well, I have this problem with my five-year-old they talk back and Right or wrong my Tennessee is go. Well, you thought it was funny two years ago when they would know. You know, haha.
It wasn't funny. Like I wasn't gonna put up if if I won't put up with it at five. Why would I put up with it at three just because you thought it was cute. There's there's some things when it comes to disobedience.
It's for me. It's clear-cut. I'm not gonna put up with disobedience.
Sorry, you say that and that reminds me of something else that Gwen said to me because we were doing something with our son. She's got good things to say don't. I'm telling you she lives rent-free in my head.
She said You as a parent you demand obedience. Yeah, and so if your child's doing XYZ and they're not listening and like I had I Don't. I didn't send that to you. I meant to send that to you, too. I sent Gwen a an article that was written by John Piper like I don't know about like is that what you got?
Is that what you printed on? No, but I was like I have it on. I can pull it up on my phone. But he was talking about how pitiful it was to see Christian parents plead with their children for obedience.
Like will you please like will you please do this really please do that and it's like no like you are the one as the Parent you get to demand that obedience. So if they are not obedient to something It's because you haven't demanded them to be obedient to that and if you give them an inch they will take a mile.
Every kid is like that. Whether you think your child is perfect or not if they are, you know, tell me how you fix that but yeah, I believe it.
You know two things one. I Didn't realize this early on but I do now. There's levels to it so Step one is the kid complies. So you say sit down he sits down, but he's pouting and got an attitude about it.
He complied. He didn't obey but okay, that's step one, right? You know for for right now and all that does is hold off a spanking that's probably gonna come from your bad attitude later. You complied you didn't actually obey in your heart can prolong this.
Yeah, yeah, but you you complied for now that's complying. Okay. Let's use cleaning the room as an example. That's good example. So he goes and cleans it and you know, they cleaned up but they had an attitude about it.
They complied they didn't obey. Step two. Hey go clean your room. Yes, sir, and they go and. And they clean it they get halfway distracted through and need like several course questions, but they get it done.
Step three, you know, yes, sir, and they go and immediately do it and come back to you. But that's not the end and I didn't think about this. What's step four they do that without being asked because I know it's supposed to be clean before bedtime.
I mean, that's that's the end goal, right? Not that that has been achieved by me just to be clear.
Certainly has never. But what did I say with Naomi last week. Pastor is talking about how Unintelligent she was and I'm like, she's not. I was like, she's not done. I said she's not done.
She has um, she's pretty and has a nice personality. Yeah. I am just kidding. Naomi's not dumb. She is so cute less Aware of her surroundings than a but that's what I'll say. Yeah. Oblivious, but what I was gonna say earlier about what you just said about and kind of you have and about demanding obedience.
This is something that I realized a while back. Luckily early enough in my parenting journey. Okay, so there's X amount of passages in the Bible about parenting and that's enough but Father or Heavenly Father is one of the main titles of God so I have not just the Didactic not just the explicit teachings of the fathers do this Wives do this whatever but I also have the example, okay.
Yeah, so that's that's what's on my paper.
Well, then I'll just say this and shut up and let you read your paper and my example is this. Okay. What how do I see God as a father? Well, I never see him. Alright, please. Would you mind if you could?
Put away the the idols. Could you mind doing that for me? Can it kind of makes me feel bad? I've never seen that. I have never seen that exactly. No what I do see is Him far more joyful and rewarding obedience and far more grieved and punishing.
You know, yeah, he he the Bible says in Luke The Heavenly Father loves to give good gifts to his children. And I'm like, that's me. We all love getting gifts. All right, it's so fun, but Even though it grieves him he does it because he's committed the justice so.
Like his mercies are new every morning his love endurance for a thousand generations, but he will not. The guilty won't go unpunished. So that's kind of the like the example I see of him like oh, okay.
So I don't just have the teachings. I have the examples of God as the Heavenly Father and I see him with his children. That's exactly what he does. He's really consistent and he's very consistent. He never changes.
He loves you enough to give you what you need not what you want, right? I feel like as a parent that's like there's a lot of times where I'm tired. You don't need another stuffed animal from this. Yeah, you don't need if we fill the house up anymore, or I'm tired.
I don't want to put up with it. I should I could just let it slide. Yeah, but it becomes the question of like, well, do I love her enough to give her what she needs not what she wants. It's not about Like there's a member that on the couch, oh man, yeah, that's good.
There's a lot of times that like, you know this like We were at a Mexican restaurant. I told her said You need to stop or do you want to spank and she goes? Yes, I want to spank him. So now I put the words out and I have to answer for what but it became a question of well.
You tried me and I can't lose. This is like when you wrestle a puppy a boy puppy when they're young if you let them win. They always think they can do anything. Yeah, but then it's like, all right. Well you in no way do I want to go through with this, but I lay it out.
These are the rules and the standard doesn't change. Well, she's tired. Okay. Well the standard doesn't change, right? Is my job is give you like disobedience? There's a one the old guys that kind of taught me a lot growing up.
He made a comment said the dad is the rock of the foundation in which the family's built on so as we push and grow that's half the thing is being consistent and being the rock for your daughter or your kiddo.
It just I don't know you got to stay consistent with it, but without that rock I mean things shift all the time and there's not a standard. Yeah, I have to well.
Then your kids don't know what to do and it's and they'll push boundaries more and more and more and they always do.
I mean, but they're always gonna try boundaries even the ones they know they're not allowed to cross. There's still time. Don't don't pick your sister up and Seconds later. You're like, all right. I just told you not to pick her up.
There's been a spanking or two and a sprint or two and a push-up or two in the Shipley house for that one. Though I'll tell you what she's learned a lesson finally. She has not picked up. What's my son's name Silas?
Wow, it's been a day. She has not picked up Silas a single time. We've got it this round.
The boys will be about two years apart and so I'm just curious to see how that's gonna go.
But please don't we figure that one out. Finally. It's a good thing. Children are durable. Yeah. Like very durable. It's a good thing and it's not even with each other like you're holding him when you turn around.
Oh, there was a door frame. I can't tell you how many times.
Well with the size of your son's head, I'm surprised that doesn't happen every day.
Born, I can't tell you how many times I hit his head in doorways and now it's like with me being pregnant. Belly is getting bigger obviously like the longer I'm pregnant and I've been starting to hit my stomach on things now because I'm not used to it, but yeah, I can't tell you how many times I've Accidentally hit my kids head on the doorway.
I'm okay. Don't worry about.
But did you want to share that scripture that sure pastor just I was written and this kind of goes to. I think we're gonna Get to this in our discussion about the different forms of discipline because it's not always about punishment.
Yes, but with that in mind one of the reasons to to discipline your children is to raise godly adults, but you are the example of Obedience of how they should obey God. They learn that from how they obey their parents.
That's the initial learning of that. And so I wanted to share Hebrews 12, and this is 4 through 11. So it's kind of a long passage, but I'll read It's the Bible and your struggle against sin you have not resisted to the point of shedding blood and You have completely forgotten this word of encouragement.
This addresses you as a father addresses his son. It says my son do not make light of the Lord's discipline and do not lose heart when he rebukes you. Because the Lord disciplines the ones he loves and he chastens everyone.
He accepts us his son. Endure hardship as discipline. Discipline. God is treating you as his children for what children are not disciplined by their father. If you are not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline, then you are not legitimate not true sons and daughters at all.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we were Respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the father of spirit and live? They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best.
But God disciplines us for our good in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful later on. However, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
And one of the main things I would want to point out by that passage. It is automatically assumed maybe even commanded that you are disciplining your children, right? The whole analogy it's not like if you discipline your children, yeah, it is assumed that you are doing it.
So what's the difference between?
Discipline and punishment. Because a lot of people say we discipline our child and we spank him. So some people see is spanking as discipline is a teaching.
Punishment is a tool that can be used for discipline. It should not be the only tool. But it is a tool so sometimes you can look at what your child has done and you can say, okay. Maybe they really didn't understand.
This might be a discipline moment where I talk about What needed to have been done where they went wrong and give a steering correction. Kind of like the training of how to clean a room, you know. That's one where you might not immediately go to punishment because maybe there's a learning.
Sorry again maybe there's a learning curve there, but Punishment is usually something.
Unpleasant. So discipline isn't always unpleasant. So would you say maybe way to say it is. Discipline is the umbrella term of the job. You're trying to do it to train like a Discipline a disciple of Christ.
It involves all of that and then the tools to use that might be Spankings timeout running running write your name a hundred times, whatever you just said. Those are all tools to get the overall goal of discipline.
Yes. And a parent like, you know.
Okay, so one of the trigger words these days is is gentle parenting. Yes. Which I find offensive because it by default implies that anyone that's not using that parenting style It's not gentle and kind towards their children and to me that is an absolute false.
What they mean by gentle parenting is not push-ups and spankings. Yes, correct.
Gentle words.
To correct and it implies that push-ups spankings and sprints are not gentle. Mm-hmm, correct.
But to me that parent has handcuffed them so they've handicapped themselves to limiting themselves to only one form of Discipline one form of punishment and that might not work for other children. Exactly.
They've taken all the others off the table. Well, if that form of Child rearing isn't working for your child They are not going to be ready to be a godly adult, but they're raising them to be unicorns.
Oh, what do you mean? Because it's it's an unrealistic View of the world. Everyone's gonna talk kindly to you. Look like you can't say in love. They're their pastor. Jeff had made a comment that you want to be the reason why when you train a fighter you want them to get rocked.
You want them to get a bloody nose? You want that to happen in a controlled place so they learn how to deal with it.
Yeah, because when they're in the ring, they're gonna get a bloody nose or bloody whatever. They're gonna freak out. Yeah.
You know, I want that to happen at home in the safety of you were safe and I told you and I raised you a Gentle parent. Okay. Well, you're not gonna use mean words and you're gonna plead with your child.
What happens when they're running to the street? Oh, yeah, that's oh, yeah. Oh, well, you know, and that's no. That's perfectly unacceptable in all ways because you can't say it was loving and gentle to not Autocorrect that child immediately when they're running to get smashed by a car so how can you say that.
I Think I think the saying gentle parenting is loving. I would almost I disagree because.
For some Scripture here says otherwise. He chases.
Yes, you know some trains. I say scourges, but you know about that.
I Was gonna say that Hold on before I lost my train of thought it's okay. We were talking about children running in the street.
Oh, yeah, you're talking about unicorns and not everyone's ever gonna talk to you that way. I I learned this it took me a couple years, but I finally realized it like Before let's say Ava, let's say we're at the playground and she Says hi to a kid and says hi.
How are you? And they just kind of ignore don't want to talk to whatever. I used to kind of get mad. Like what's wrong with you kid? Okay, my kid said hey to you, but now I'm like Okay, Ava. She don't want to talk to you shouldn't go talk to you.
That's life like I'm in my brains like I'm not preparing her because let me tell you something. Sometimes folks don't want to talk to me. So yeah people they register.
I try to be friendly right and they just don't talk.
Now when she looks back and they're like, okay, then you keep playing. I'm trying to work myself out of a job not give myself a lifetime. Like I don't want so my desire for my child is I want to be wanted not be needed when she's an adult.
I don't want a phone call. Daddy. What do I do? I would hey daddy. Just so you know, I did this. What do you think about that? I would rather have a conversation with my adult child. That I gave them the tools to make their decisions for them.
Imagine that when I was 24 or whatever 23 and I started working for the public school system in Memphis if Like the first time someone was mean to me if I called my mom and said hey mommy they were mean to me.
I don't know what to do. She probably felt like I failed as a parent. I mean.
Like talk to your dad like So.
23 years old. What do you mean? Someone's mean like you're trying to instill that in your children now like Nadine got upset because I let the dog out and she wanted to look the daddy that hurts my feelings and I was like I'm sorry, baby.
You gotta get tougher feelings. Yes, because my goal is my goal as a parent is to give her a foundation to grow on it. She doesn't get to go. Well, this hurts and it should never hurt. I don't ever want to hurt.
You're gonna get hurt. You're gonna. There's a comment I'm trying to create. I'm okay with scrapes and bruises. I'm trying to prevent scars. Yeah, and like I really feel like with my kids like I'm just trying to make sure you don't have the same I'm not trying to give you my problems.
I want you to grow up and have your own.
I kind of said something similar that you know. Sometimes when you're teaching your children how to make decisions that are responsible. It's It's to your advantage that they do those at home where yes, they might.
I mean I can remember one of my sons I believe it was Jeremiah Wanted to help flip pancakes and I gave him a warning and I said son You're not tall enough and there's not room for a stool here. You're gonna burn yourself.
No, mom, I can reach it. I can do it and I said, okay hear me one more time. You're probably gonna burn yourself and he says I got it. I got it. So I'll let it happen. In a controlled so now he's not drunk driving and Killing somebody else's child.
He learned early on when the consequences were controlled. They were still very real consequences that hurt but they were controlled, right?
This thing you won't I don't want to prove. I don't want to save her from consequences because that I mean there's that happens throughout life. I'm just trying to give you the tools to handle them as they come.
And at least and at least think things through enough like you know, what this is probably not a good decision. Like hey, I can't tell me Tom's daddy. Can I climb on that? I'm like, baby's gonna hurt when you fall.
Good luck because. But this is the age to do that. I didn't say here's the car keys. Go have fun.
Playing outside with sticks and no shoes on or running around barefoot with the ant hills right there. I mean tell that story. The stick when that ant hill.
Hill, I told your mom to prepare at least a couple of stories about.
Sure, let's go ahead everybody. All right, everybody. Let's go this commercial.
Explain what type of child? Josiah was to give other people an idea of how stubborn a perfect was.
He's standing in an ant hill and they are climbing up his legs and biting him is burning.
And he just grew up in the Georgia. They are red. Yeah, and they are evil.
Yeah, but this is also the Sun that which this was kind of cool. Jeff usually my husband pastor Jeff you used to he would try to go with me when kids were getting shots, especially when we had multiple kids getting shots.
And on this one particular day he had a meeting he couldn't miss and I Believe us little Jeff was the newborn and he had to get five-year-old shots. And so we were going to the pediatrician he couldn't go so he sat down with Josiah that morning and said son Mommy's gonna have a really hard time because she's got the baby and the baby's gonna be crying and doesn't understand.
So I need you it's gonna hurt. I'm not lying to you, but I need you be tough and take it like a man and and not give mama a hard time. So he said yes, we go to the pediatrician. Baby gets the shots. I'm comforting baby.
Just I gets his shots. He'd held his breath. He took it like a man passed out. But when his daddy got there he said I took it like a man daddy.
I think that's one thing just going on the shot thing really quick. The doctor was like Now Now they say that all the time so I worked at a Pediatric clinic for a while and like I would have parents ask me when they would check in for their children's appointments like are they gonna get shots today and I would look at their because one of my Jobs was like checking to make sure they were updated on vaccines and stuff and I would look at their record and I'm like Well, you know your kids coming in for their five-year-old kindergarten shots.
It doesn't look like they've had those yet and this is their kindergarten checkup. So they will most likely be getting a shot today and they're like, okay well Don't tell them that and I'm like, I mean that's your responsibility as a parent to tell them about shots.
Because then they're gonna have trust issues if they're you're telling them they're not gonna get shots and then they go in and that's like a whole thing so I Like I said because of my experience I've started with my son I don't remember how old he was but he had 12-month shots and then he had his like 18-month shots.
Just like a couple of weeks ago in this last time. I told him said buddy, you're good. You know has no idea what I'm probably talking about. You're gonna get shots today and it's gonna hurt for a little bit.
But you know what if you're a good boy and you do well, I'm like, we'll go get a treat afterwards. And so like I hate holding him down. That's the freaking worst thing. I hate nothing and I have to.
Know it was worse than the circumcision, but we can talk about that later. We'll talk about that later. I was in the room.
Oh, it's horrible. I talked to your wife about that. I couldn't I couldn't do it good, but. Yeah, but so all of that like he we had to had to lay on top of him. He got a shot, you know, my husband wasn't with me.
He was at work and stuff. And so as soon as he sits up the nurse blows him up like a little glove balloon, you know. Draws a smile and then he stopped crying. And so I told him I said you did such a good job.
We're gonna go get Sonic because I wanted Sonic. That's right. Let's go get an Oreo blast. I Need it to stress but that's the thing that I see with parents a lot of the times is they think they're protecting their children but they're Providing a wedge between them with trust and it's like, you know instead of like, oh, you know, my dog ran away.
It's like no your dog got hit by a car and it's like the parents wouldn't to be honest with them so I think that's one thing that like some parents fail at and Because then they're gonna have trust issues when they're older.
Like well, how do I know what you're telling me?
Right, and you know like all the things I decided long before I was ever gonna have kids. But I was going to be 100 honest with them.
Yeah, this goes back to in ways that they can understand right or age-appropriate. This goes back to our Santa episode, but you know like as.
A culture obviously and there's some good to this. So don't misunderstand. We are far more squeamish with death than cultures before us that it was in their face all the time now one negative. One positive of that is the gospel could be centered around the reality of this is temporary.
Death is coming right? Whereas here we hide ourselves. Maybe so much from it that we forget that is the reality right? I mean that that's sure. I mean, that's the reality so um like Dead squirrels like in my neighborhood all the time.
That's how it started and then funerals. No, they're not sleeping. Yeah, especially at the school. It looks like they're sleeping. They're not yeah, they're dead. So I'm Taking one life the first time we went to a funeral.
I told Ava I was like, hey There's gonna be a dead person. Now that dead person that's their body. They're actually not in their body anymore. And now this was a believer I said they're with the Lord right now.
He's with the Lord, but his body will be there and it is dead. It is not alive in any realm. You can touch it pick up the arm. It will he will not respond. He's dead. We We go in the funeral home and we walk in and everyone is in the room.
Do you remember this?
I'm trying to recall who you're talking about. And.
Everyone's in the room and The music starts because we were because I had I hadn't taken her up there to see him yet. And people are sitting down. She goes as loud as she can daddy. Can I see my dad? Can I see my dad.
But then. Maybe four, but I think it was three four. Maybe they thought she said Ed. Yeah.
Let's hope but you know now. You know, we went to a viewing two weeks ago. She understands all normal doesn't freak out doesn't have any like that. She just acts like a regular kid. She knows when to be respectful.
When you know, she's learned that. So Sheltering or maybe protecting the word use what you think you're protecting them from is actually something maybe that. You don't need to protect them from because then they're gonna have to face the reality of it later.
Which what you're talking about with you know, I love that. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. It's such a disservice. So maybe the next question should be. And I guess for our guests especially but especially for someone who's already raised by children children.
Yeah, she has five children. Just five just five. How did you decide? The appropriate.
Punishment fits the crime. The Bible words it this way. He wants equal scales. In fact, he says unequal scales are detestable an Abomination now, that's the same word. He used of homosexuality of idol worship of murder.
Abomination. Equal scales. So in deciding what form of discipline to use what are some tools we can use to that because. That is not always as black and white as it can be difficult at least for me sometimes.
So, how do we decide what measure to use. I think it's important to have more than one tactic. What you mean? Oh not cutting off half of your tools that you're getting. Yeah, like sprint spankings. If all if the only tool you have is a hammer then that's you're always looking for a nail.
That's a good point. So like good saying it's not a man. Yeah, that's great. So in other words if it this level wasn't it was rebellion but not in the same sense as this if you're saying Punishment they're gonna see it as the same crime.
Like there's a lot of times that I mean I don't mean you've talked sometimes you discipline your child and they get a spanking and the spanking this time does not faze them. Yeah, they're back at it three seconds.
Later. There's been there's been a couple times. We're making them throw away the doll. Oh, yeah. Dude that has brought about some repentance.
It really is hard when the mama or the daddy paid $200 for said doll and you allow it to be thrown away. This daddy has never been.
$200 on doll, but I understand what you're saying definitely makes you pick. Yeah, that I'm a pair of shoes. And I spent money on those shoes, right? But I said what I said and I can't take back those words and I don't need to.
That happened with a pair of shoes. Throwing away so.
Yeah, um I'm with you. You've got to have multiple for me a disobedience like Clean your room and they don't. Even in that you have to look at did they just get distracted. Was an accident.
They I'm not doing it. So what you're saying is if you say clean your room, they say no, that's different than clean your room. Yes, ma 'am. They go and then they watch a Bugs Bunny. You're saying they got it.
They got they were picking up the Legos and all of a sudden started building. Yeah, you know. It's a difference. Did they disobey in both scenarios? Yes, but the heart of the matter was different in each.
So the punishment would be different scenario one where go clean your room. No, what's that some type of physical?
And another line for us after I would say about six maybe seven we did very little spankings. We mostly did the spanking earlier. Because the other forms of physical punishment like with the running the stairs or the push-ups.
You can't really do that with a three-year-old. They might you know have a concussion falling down the stairs. Their form isn't very good.
What's right now. And they are less effective than they are for Ava because she counts like like not with the rep like do 20 Body squats. Yes, sir. One two three, and she's done. Like like if you have her do 20 body squats, she counts the 20 and she does three.
Okay, she's brilliant. She's not she she can't coordinate the saying of the number with the rep.
Anyway, you were saying so so, you know, but once they're older we used more running around the house. Sometimes it was really bad running around the house with bricks held over in Atlanta in July. I remember that.
You know just hard lessons learned. Yeah.
When but when it involved my kids fighting with each other. Do you remember what your punishments were? Yeah, you got an oversized t-shirt. We would make them hug. I would put one of daddy's t-shirts on them and make them sit.
If they were fighting over a toy you lost the toy. I'm not I'm not going to. You're not gonna ruin my day. Because y 'all can't get along give the blessing of this great toy and you're gonna fight over it.
And it doesn't take too many times of the toy goes to the trash or the toy goes to the attic or whatever. The Case is that they either hide that they're fighting over it and don't bring it to me or.
Yeah, they worked it out. Work it out, you know, however, they worked it out but in some personal skills to walk through. That has happened in the workplace many times where I'm like, all right. We got to figure this out because we can't figure us out.
One of us are going to go talk to two managers, right? We got to figure this.
I do not want to do that. So, you know, just a wide variety. There was a lot of Physical when you have four boys in the house. There's always going to be a lot of physical and a couple of them were more stubborn than than the others.
Yeah. Oh.
He was the one that was about to say he's the baby. I'm assuming that's who she was before. She's talking about hunter. Well hunter. Yeah.
Like I didn't punish Hunter when he lived in our house.
I Told you to clean your room. All right, go run the stairs.
And one there became a time that as long as it wasn't food grossness I quit requiring the room to be clean. I don't care if you want to live like that pigsty.
I wasn't looking at you. Boys learn from the road. Okay. Well, these are the consequences. I can't find my stuff. Well, maybe you should look through mr New leaf over here. I fixed it and I turned over a new leaf.
How long did it take? It not how long did take me to clean it or how long did it take me and Rachel?
Rachel was involved. It was one of the only time she was ever allowed upstairs. Let's do help. Stairs and the door was open, but I was like, oh you're gonna help him clean.
We'll figure out a way you can go up the stairs. Yeah, I did not clean a single toilet. I was married. Oh my gosh. Even in the military, no, he didn't go to the military.
Now you're thinking of a Jerry. Jerry is the one who did Marie? Yeah, he's just empty. He's just an empty just saves people's lives. I cannot say.
Absolutely clean toilets as a kid. Yeah percent. I was supposed to so me and my sister had her own bathrooms. Somehow I lightly Requested my sister to do. What was your end of the bargain dishes or what?
He's got out of it. If you can ask a lot, you can have been my brother. There's no way You can sell it in my smile. No, you wouldn't have sold nothing. He worked the system. He figured it out I could pay.
I paid her cash. Like once we get a little bit older. I started working while I never mind I take back what I said, you could have figured out a way you could have figured it out.
But there are several scriptures. I wrote them down to that talks about the rod which is a tool of Discipline of if you want to call it spanking whoever spares the rod hates their children. Read that again.
It's Proverbs 13 24 whoever spares the rod hates hates their children. But the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. Careful meaning you're putting time and effort into being intentional.
Yes, you're thinking through what is the appropriate discipline Proverbs? 2915 and 17 say a rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces his mother. Discipline your children and they will give you peace.
They will bring you the delight you desire. And I think that yeah, that's pretty much the ones up that I put down on.
Spanking. Yeah, you know man, whoever doesn't hates their children. That's what God said.
Well, I think because of the way that the culture has been especially with the gentle parenting movement that we've seen it's like oh my gosh I don't you know want to hurt my kids. I'm a bad parent or we all have.
Certain things that happened in our childhood the way that we were disciplined that we particularly didn't like. So we don't want to make those. Same mistakes with their own children and then you end up not disciplining whether it's you know.
With the punishments or spankings using those as a tool and so it's like you you literally hate your child.
Well, and I think there is you don't want to do that. There's something to be said about not, you know. If you are in public considering is this an appropriate place to spank my child not because of fear of repercussions.
Although that is a gin. Yes genuine fear, but more because It's my child gonna be more embarrassed and therefore not receive the discipline and punishment. I'm trying to show them. That's good. You know, am I losing what my intention is by the location?
The audience if you want to say of. That's witnessing the discipline so that has to be considered because there's also scripture about Don't provoke your children to anger and I think things like that is what that's talking about that in that discipline if you're angry And you're frustrated then they're not receiving the discipline.
They're not learning from it. You're just like they're already at the ten. They're not they're not taking any of it in, you know.
And and we've only got a few more minutes. I do want to say one thing about example setting but One thing about the If your kid notices I had someone tell me this one time if I disobeyed in public. It was worse and she didn't really care if I disobeyed at home.
Cuz she was embarrassed. That kind of implies that really it's more about other people saw you as a parent and you felt some type Of way about it and that changed the tactic you would have done at home.
And we've got to fight those things because of course there's an embarrassment in public. But it has to be the same result as when it's back at the house. Staying consistent. Yeah, but like, you know, we'd like with the gentle parent thing.
My goal is not to shield and shelter my children it is to armor them up and to put teeth in their mouth. That's right. So that not only can they handle what comes for them. They didn't need me to hold their hand as they walk.
That's right. That's right. You know when we think about you know scripture talking about putting the armor of God on this what we're trying to teach our kids. That's right. I can't protect you from everything.
But if I give you the shield and give you the breastplate And the helmet like you're you're prepared to deal with what's coming towards you it's not sneaking around behind you. It's coming towards you and you're already ready for it.
I think that's one thing that intimidated me about having boys because I'm like with girls in a way I feel like. It would almost be easier to raise girls to into women like godly women. Versus godly men like I remember finding out that I was pregnant, you know with our first son and I'm just like I I have no idea Like what I should do like I'm supposed to raise a white Christian male in this generation the society where he will literally be hated for just being.
Who he is. Not to mention there's very few examples of that outside of your father. I mean, right. In other words, there's not a whole lot of examples of godly Christian men to look at right. There's not a plethora of it, right?
And so that's why I'm really thankful for our church in particular and my I mean my husband most of all because we have such. We have so many tools to be used like I've like I said earlier I've learned a lot from Gwen and she lives rent-free in my in my head with all these things about Just child discipline like rearing all that stuff, but it just really worried me to Have that responsibility.
I guess I was scared of that responsibility of raising a son. But looking at what God calls you to do. It's like you need to love the Lord. They need to see that you love the Lord. They don't need to see the hypocrisy that lives within you.
There have been times where I've had to apologize to my son because I reacted in such a way I'm like even I'm like even when he was younger. He had no idea what I was talking about. But I'm like humbling myself in front of my son who had I'm like I could get away with this.
Like I could get away with this not feel bad about it, you know, whatever and I'm like, you know, son I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry for doing that. You know, I won't do it again, you know, like forgive mommy blah blah blah whatever but I just think it was very intimidating to do that, but I look at how My son is.
Specifically he doesn't do this with like any woman at the church besides my mom. He loves Artie. He loves like big guys. Like the most intimidating guys in our church my son gravitate and gravitates towards them.
And so Artie always like growls at my son and then my son saw him across the sanctuary today and he goes Grrr Gerd Adam and then he loves seeing mr. Bill. He's learned. Mr. Bill's name and he'll go up to him he saw brother Jeff today and he said Pastor and he points to them and so knowing that like he's making 18 months old year and he's making these relationships with the men in our church is just so comforting to me and knowing that my husband has those men plus other men in the church to lean on to.
In regards to raising children because like we did not claim to know everything about parenting. FYI We're just talking about our experiences the things that worked or didn't work and all of that and every child is different.
Well, no, I know. I've told you this several times. I've told lots of women this like almost every new mom that I've ever come across. I've told this is that Um. You won't be an expert ever right. You'll constantly be learning new things.
Being sorry for things as you realize that you're doing it wrong, but if you start early enough Your parent your children are not gonna remember your mistakes. That's one of my favorite.
Yeah, he won't remember that. I'm like, oh, yeah, that's really good. Yeah.
So you have a lot of grace there that they are infants when you're starting and they're not gonna remember all those Mistakes and as long as you're correct on them and learning them and becoming a better parent.
Then you might make mistakes, but you're not failing. Yeah, if we can do this, we've got five minutes. I want to give time for last word if I could just read one scripture I think she actually printed it off and then we'll be done.
But this is Deuteronomy chapter 6 and it says this. This is the commandment and the statutes and the rules of Yahweh. Your God commanded me to teach you that you may do them in the land. You're going to in possession and you may fear Yahweh your God you and your son and your son's sons.
By keeping all the statutes and commandment and then it goes on verse 6 and these words I command you today Shall be on your heart. You will teach them diligently to your children. They shall talk about them when you sit at your house.
When you walk by the way when you lie down when you rise no matter where you're at. You're consistent at the house at the church, whatever you'll bind them as a sign on your hand. They'll be as the front lids between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates so in other words you discipline your children not just with punishment as We were saying earlier. But by diligently teaching them those things not just with your words.
With your actions and they will follow. That's kind of my last word. What's your last word, bro? I mean, it's you gotta teach them what to do and and not to do. It's really easy to get. Well, you have to do things this way.
It's not always the case and sometimes you're gonna make things your own but like it's really easy. No, don't do that. No, don't do that. Don't do that. Like what do I do with my hands? What do you do instead?
Right? Yeah. Yeah, don't just say what not to do. Tell them what to do instead. I mean kind of what Anna said like I have two girls and that is not the route I expected in my life.
You should switch. Yeah, we know not. My son's pretty sweet. He's actually really sweet boy come too far. No. My daughter's. That's four years of wasted time. I'm like a new relationship. I'm not starting over but like I never.
You know, my daughters have taught me just as much or more like I remember watching trying to teach my daughter how the things to do and then I watched her loser cool and throw something down and go. And I was like, I can't believe you would ever do that.
I was like, oh, she just learned that for me and I just did the exact same thing. She did. So sometimes it's you know, it's being consistent but also saying no we shouldn't do that. Man last word.
I'll end with the word I started on. Consistency. It's exhausting. Sometimes you don't feel like doing it, but be consistent. Last word Anna I.
Would just say If you were unsure of what route to take as a parent just always look to scripture because like I said earlier a lot of us have issues with the way that we were raised or disciplined growing up and instead of saying I'm not going to Do it my mom or my dad or my grandma whomever did? I'm not gonna do it this way because like just in spite like I'm not gonna do that.
But instead do what scripture calls you to do and you will have obedient children.
All right guys, well that ends our time today. I hope this podcast has been some benefit to you and it has to me for sure. Not just this episode but previous episodes. Find one you like and share that always like the videos comment subscribe.
Send any ideas to Anna. We got a few more weeks of this season. We're gonna take a break for a little bit and then we're gonna come back. We have new guests already mind knocking on the door for season 7.
Want to thank Evan and Gwen for coming on the podcast today aka mom and Just want to thank you guys for watching. So until next time Deuces.