Discipline – the missing factor!

The article in today’s The Herald newspaper, begins “An erosion of adult authority has created a “spoilt generation” of children who believe grown-ups must earn their respect, a new study has warned.” (see http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/ and scroll down). So, what many of us have believed for many years (even for decades!) has finally received some level of ‘official recognition’!

In my opinion, the rot set in under the influence of the late Dr Benjamin Spock and his teaching on “instant gratification”. Although, as I understand it, this initially applied only to the feeding of infants (and was in opposition to the regimented feeding at set times, that was the contemporary norm), it gradually permeated the whole of childhood. Couple this with an increasing number of unmarried mothers, the fathers of whose offspring have little, or no, positive influence on their child(ren) and, therefore, provide no male role model, and it is not difficult to understand how the present situation has come about. The growing materialism of the second half of the last century, when even the married mother was going out to work in order to be able to purchase more ‘things’, led to children having toys and cash provided as a substitute for real parental love and companionship. Even the change in the style of baby ‘buggies’ meant that children were pushed around with their backs to their mothers, rather than facing them. The introduction of nursery ‘education’ provided a (poor) substitute for family life – parents abrogating a large part of their own responsibility for the upbringing of their children, to strangers.

Of course, as soon as we depart from the instructions in the manufacturer’s handbook for our domestic appliances, etc., we know that we are just asking for trouble. How sad, therefore, that so many, for so long, have believed that they could totally disregard the instructions in the Maker’s handbook – the Bible – and do so with impunity!

Children are viewed as a gift from God (Ps 127:3) – a gift that involves both privilege and responsibility. The chief responsibility is, not unsurprisingly, the teaching and training of children. So the old Book of Proverbs: “Teach your children to choose the right path and, when they are older, they will not depart from it.” (22:6). Paul reminds us, in Eph.6, of the importance of children treating their parents with respect, but also tells fathers not to make their children angry by the way in which they treat them, “Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord” (v.4).

There are those who would mock the teachings of “the good book” – but “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”, and our departure, in this country, from Biblical standards seems to have left only a very sour taste in the mouth!