Image: Flickr/mrhayata

“It is the part of a good shepherd to shear his flock, not to skin it.” (Latin Proverb)

Disciplining your children doesn’t have to be a terrible thing. It simply means providing them with teaching and instruction. Sadly, parents often take their child’s misdeeds as a personal affront. When we do that, we feel the need to “teach them a lesson” and we end up taking our anger out on them — with very little positive impact to show for it.

Kids don’t learn lessons through your lectures or unnecessarily harsh “skinnings”. They want to follow you like a good shepherd. Lead them in the ways you want them to go, but do so with kindness. Keep your shears handy and use them when you need them, but remember: a sheep who has been skinned is more likely to run from you than one who has been allowed to keep its dignity.