Proverbs 19:18 - Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
The day will come before you know it when there is no more hope for his training.
Notice the emphasis on timing. A little discipline at an earlier age saves much more further down the road. If you don't like spanking, then do it early so you don't have to do so much more later. You can permanently accomplish with a few swats at age two what would take many, many more at age six or seven. You can root out a character flaw at age ten that would save him from fighting it for decades in adulthood. While yet in their toddler years, you can so easily save their future spouse many trials, and even spare your child from future divorce, job firings, crime, financial ruin, etc.
"Let not thy soul spare for his crying."
Notice it is the soul or heart, the emotions, that would spare him. Therefore the head must be in control over these. Make logical decisions, not emotional; decisions guided by God's word; decisions that are in the child's best long-term interests, not short-term comfort.
This principle applies not only to discipline and training but to other areas where the young try to get their way as well. They try to wear the parent down over time: Let not thy soul spare for his crying. They have sob stories about what will happen if they don't get their way: Let not thy soul spare for his crying. They try to manipulate: Let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Be the adult, the one with the right answer in the situation, the one who has the wisdom to look down the road and see the long term results of either path. Do not make decisions with the heart ("soul") but with the Spirit-renewed mind (Romans 12:2).
VM
The day will come before you know it when there is no more hope for his training.
Notice the emphasis on timing. A little discipline at an earlier age saves much more further down the road. If you don't like spanking, then do it early so you don't have to do so much more later. You can permanently accomplish with a few swats at age two what would take many, many more at age six or seven. You can root out a character flaw at age ten that would save him from fighting it for decades in adulthood. While yet in their toddler years, you can so easily save their future spouse many trials, and even spare your child from future divorce, job firings, crime, financial ruin, etc.
"Let not thy soul spare for his crying."
Notice it is the soul or heart, the emotions, that would spare him. Therefore the head must be in control over these. Make logical decisions, not emotional; decisions guided by God's word; decisions that are in the child's best long-term interests, not short-term comfort.
This principle applies not only to discipline and training but to other areas where the young try to get their way as well. They try to wear the parent down over time: Let not thy soul spare for his crying. They have sob stories about what will happen if they don't get their way: Let not thy soul spare for his crying. They try to manipulate: Let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Be the adult, the one with the right answer in the situation, the one who has the wisdom to look down the road and see the long term results of either path. Do not make decisions with the heart ("soul") but with the Spirit-renewed mind (Romans 12:2).
VM
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