Thoughts on discipline
In Plum Johnson’s book “They left us everything,” she talks about how her father had beat her brothers with a bamboo cane. She commented that she came to realize that “it wasn’t something that he wanted to do, it was something that he felt that he had to do, some version of misguided discipline that he had experienced in his own childhood. He must have been beaten hard at his boarding school.”
This paragraph struck a nerve. I reflected on my mother’s beating us with the metal end of a boy scout belt. I reflected on the many times that she bloodied our mouths. I guess it is possible that she didn’t enjoy it, but that she was just doing what she felt she had to do, living out some version of misguided disciple that she had learned growing up.
And I reflected on our discipline of our children. I never slapped my children or struck them. There were a few spankings. Cathy and I always felt terrible after the fact. We were much much easier on them than our parents were on us. Much easier.
Now in hindsight I feel bad for every spanking. There was another way for sure, but I was operating out of some misguided sense of discipline that I had learned growing up.
I am going to apologize to my kids.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to be the good.
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Sherri Swanson and I are leading a trip to New Zealand January 30-Feb 12, 2027
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