What Do We Call Discipline?
Sometimes, what we call discipline may actually be anger, impatience, pride, or a lack of self-control. We may react harshly toward children or people under our authority and justify it as discipline simply because we have power over them.
True discipline should teach, not merely demand obedience. Children need reasons, explanations, patience, and the opportunity to ask questions and make choices. When obedience is based only on fear of punishment or loss of privileges, we may unintentionally teach them to obey authority without understanding what is right.
How we raise people can shape how they later relate to authority and to those beneath them. They may grow up afraid to question superiors, unable to stand up for what they believe is right, or believing that authority gives them the right to silence others.
Perhaps discipline should begin with the person doing the disciplining. Before correcting someone else, we should ask ourselves whether we are responding with reason or simply reacting from anger.
The right thing done through the wrong means will mostly end up as the wrong thing.
By Manuel Jr