There are books written on the best methods to shape the will without breaking the child.
And all this while the United Nations, politicians and humanistic theorists have somehow concluded that what kids really need is freedom from parental discipline. In fact, Article 14 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that the role of the parent is only “to provide direction”. For some reason, they believe that authority, even when exercised in love, is harmful to our kids.
There’s a great story told in the book Straight Talk to Men, of a dentist and how he handled a tear-away 10-year-old named Robbie.
Picture this — and it really is a true story, which I’m sure breaks some PC-driven law somewhere. Young Robbie turns up at the dental office, ready for battle.
“Please get in the chair, young man,” says the dentist. “No chance,” Robbie shoots back. “Son, I asked you to climb into the chair ...”
Robbie stares at his opponent and then replies, “If you make me get in that chair, I will take off all my clothes”. The dentist calmly says, “Son, take ’em off”. So he removes his shirt, shoes and socks. “All right, son, now get in the chair.” “You didn’t hear me,” blurts out Robbie. “I said if you make me get in that chair, I will take off all my clothes.”
“Son, take ’em off.” Off come the pants and undies, leaving Robbie standing totally naked before the dentist and his assistant. “Now, son, get in the chair.” Robbie does as he’s told and, afterwards, grumpily says, “Now give me my clothes”. But the dentist refuses. He actually tells Robbie that he is keeping the clothes, and that his mum can pick them up the next day. Remember, this is a true story.
Robbie’s mum walks her totally naked son back to the car and drives him home.
The next day, when Robbie’s mum came back for his clothes, here’s what she told the dentist: “You don’t know how much I appreciate what happened here. You see, Robbie has been blackmailing me about his clothes for years. You are the first person who has called his bluff, and the impact has been incredible.”
Kids are kids. They’ll always push the boundaries. But I think that they want to know that there’s a safety net keeping them from going too far. Remember, God has called us to guide and shape them in love and as it says in Proverbs, we are to train up our children in the way they should go and, when they are old, they won’t depart from it.
By Tim Sisarich, Executive Director of Focus on the Family, Copyright © 2009 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.
