Child discipline: How to discipline your child the right way (meaning without punitive measures)

Many parents want their children to have discipline. This is a common attitude amongst American parents. Most American parents think disciplining your child means punishing them. However, there is one right way to discipline a child, namely catching children being good. 

God's Word reads in Ephesians 6:4 KJV:

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is παροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and was understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including, but not limited to, any punishments, reprimands, or other controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. The parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents in the parish at Ephesus who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing their children into the church. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his secular writings. Paul may not have gotten along with the women of the church, but he sure loved children, and even took in a few orphaned children during his time as deacon.

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers here to a specific type of nurturing, namely nurturing in a teaching way. Whenever children were caught being good, they were lavishly praised and encouraged by fathers for more of the same. Christian parents set a good example for children, and backed up that example with praise and encouragement, as opposed to punishment or force in parenting. Children also found religion on their own, with religion being a human need for both children and adults alike. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers here to a warning, namely in the context of hearing out the warning of fathers. When children were caught in the act of exploring the Bible, they were given lavish praise and encouragement. From there, religious instruction came in the form of question and answer, with the child asking questions about the Bible, and with fathers giving pointers as to the context. 

Mothers nurture up close, with fathers nurturing from afar. Fathers kept their distance from young children, and left the mother to care for the child. When children attained the age of 6, fathers started looking for good behavior in children, and when they saw it, they praised their children for more of the same. The more the child centered themselves, the more praise they got. 

It is a myth that fathers in biblical times used "hand-me-down-the-slate" gaslighting to quell the upset of a child. Instead, fathers simply masturbated to sexual thoughts of their children, and imprinted on their child that way. Any rape of a child was seen as unlawful in biblical times. Righteous masturbation is what gave fathers an outlet for their sexual attachment to their children, with masturbation simply being intended to keep adults out of trouble. 

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke their children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them be cast forever into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath day and night forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!