Practicing Effective Discipline: A 3-Day Parenting Planಮಾದರಿ

The Dignified Mr. Walker

"[A father] must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect." (1 Timothy 3:4)

As a child, I (Dr. James Dobson) once spent the night with a mischievous friend who had an amazing ability to outmaneuver his parents. As we were settling down into our twin beds, Earl asked if I wanted to hear his father swear. Being a curious tyke, I naturally said yes. So at Earl’s direction we continued to laugh and talk for over an hour, with Mr. Walker repeatedly telling us to be quiet in increasingly hostile tones. “It won’t be long now,” Earl told me. Finally, Mr. Walker’s patience expired. He thundered down the hall, threw open the bedroom door, and leaped upon Earl’s bed, flailing at the boy who was safely buried beneath layers of blankets. Then Mr. Walker uttered a stream of words that had seldom reached my tender ears. I was shocked, but Earl was delighted. He yelled to me over the verbal and physical onslaught, “Didja hear ’em? Huh? Didn’t I tell ya? I toldja he would say ’em!”

Children can frustrate us to the core of our being. Some of them are motivated by nothing more than the sheer love of conflict and are overjoyed when they drive us to exasperation. When that happens, we have failed to manage our families well (1 Timothy 3:4). But don’t lose hope.

Questions for Today . . .

• Do your kids manipulate you? How?
• What can you do to change this?

Prayer . . .

Heavenly Father, so often I fail to manage my family well. I recommit myself to searching deeper into Your holy Word for wisdom in disciplining my children, and I thank You for eternal truths I can count on. Amen.

(Excerpted from Dr. James and Shirley Dobson’s book, Night Light for Parents. Used with permission.)

Bonus Content: Count to Ten When Angry

Count to ten if you need to—but when it comes to children, you must exercise self control!