It's a beautiful day and you decide that now is a better time than ever to get some of those pesky errands done. First stop, the grocery store. With your car parked securely within the overflowing busy parking lot and coupons in hand you make your way to the store’s grand front doors. You grab a cart and start making your way down the aisles on your quest for glorious grocery goods. As you roll into the dairy aisle you see a mother with her  young daughter looking at some delicious dairy treats. You think nothing of it, until you see the girl quickly snatch a Dora the Explorer gogurt pack from the shelf and vigorously tug on her mothers leg. “Mommy, I want this! Can we get it?!” pleads the young girl. The mother then politely says “No, dear.” and starts to move on. But her daughter gets an infuriated look on her face that only says one thing: Temper Tantrum. She drops the gogurt to the ground and starts stomping around screaming. Her mother desperately tries to calm her down by yelling at her to be quiet but it only makes matters worse. The mother threatens to ground her daughter and take away all her phone, laptop, and TV privileges but it has no effect. Finally, the mother takes her daughter by the arm and storms out of the store to avoid further embarrassment. You stand there, trying to make sense of what just happened, but in turn, just shake it off and continue your shopping.

How many times has this sort of occurrence happened around you? Sadly, this is very common, making it all the more ridiculous. Temper tantrums, whining, and just overall rude and arrogant behavior is all due to lazy parenting. There are many different types of lazy, or, irresponsible parenting, but one of the most controversial types is lack of discipline towards your child. In these cases, parents believe that spanking or other forms of discipline is considered mean and wrong, but in reality, discipline plays a very important role in what kind of person a child may grow up to be. This, of course, has its boundaries and must be done in moderation but when done correctly, a child will grow to be much more mature and respective. Proverbs 13:24 says “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” By disciplining your children, you are showing that you care about how they will grow up, what morals they will develop, and even what kind of impact they will have on others around them. However, by not disciplining, you teach your child that doing wrong has no consequence which can lead ultimately lead to your son’s daughter’s downfall .
       

Without discipline, we would all be much more self centered and arrogant people. We would have a very loose definition of right and wrong which would lead to many disasters. If we are to wish good upon our coming generations, it is imperative that we show them the consequences of evil. If children are left to teach themselves, they may not understand how big of an impact their actions can have, for good or for worse, before its too late. If you truly love your children, show them. Reward the good, and give consequence to the bad, and you will never have to endure the embarrassment of that poor supermarket mother.