
Is it okay to discipline children for bad behavior? Of course it is! Consider God’s word: “Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. ‘Go on up, you baldhead!’ they said. ‘Go on up, you baldhead!’ He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths” (II Kings 21:23-25).
Everyone must learn to respect other people, their property and the laws that protect them. It’s up to parents to teach respect from the earliest age. It’s not hard to do. Demand that respect be paid to older people, people in positions of authority and meet every transgression with instant scolding or punishment. We must teach respect for others above every other lesson in life. That’s how we avoid riots and bears.