How To Discipline With Courage and Kindness: The 4 things you need to do every single time

About this book

I have never met a parent who likes to discipline his child. I hated it when my children were young. I wanted life to be easy and smooth and for everyone in our home to get along. Discipline seemed to ruin all of that. But here’s what I didn’t know back then- good discipline doesn’t have to. In fact, parents hate discipline more than children dislike receiving it. How do I know? Because for 30 years, I’ve been listening to your children. And this is what they tell they take pride in having a parent care enough to “No, you can’t go to that party because you can behave better than that,” or “No, you can’t go to a sleep over.” The truth is, we are afraid of saying “no,” but we must realize that, deep down, healthy discipline makes our children feel loved.I had the privilege of talking with John O’Leary recently. He was burned when he was nine years old in a house fire and should have died. Over 85% of his body was burned. But, with prayers, support and good medical care, he lived. After months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, his parents brought him home, and his mother made his favorite meal. The family of eight sat around the dining room table, and John wondered how he was going to eat because his fingers had been burned completely off. The only tools he had to hold a fork were two blunted, fingerless hands pressed together.When everyone started eating, he tried to hold the utensils but failed. His sister was seated next to him and stabbed a piece of meat with her fork and brought it to his mouth. Suddenly, his mother scolded her daughter, “Don’t you dare feed John. He can do it, and he will do it.”John said that was the kindest and cruelest statement he’d ever heard. But, he said, it saved his life again because his mother’s “no” told him that he was capable of doing anything he wanted. And today, he can. All because his believing mother had the fortitude to use that tiny word.