The following is a list of myths that parents believe about disciplining their children and what the bible has to say about them.

1) I love my children too much to discipline them

“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”  Prov 13:24

2) It’s too tiring to discipline my child

“Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”  Prov 29:17

3) I only need to instruct or discipline – not both

Both are necessary.

“The rod and reproof give wisdom.”  Prov 29:15

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  Eph 6:4

“For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”  Heb 12:7-8

4) Disciplining my kids will bring me embarrassment

“A child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.” Prov 29:15 NIV

5) There’s no hope in discipline

“Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.”  Prov 19:18 NIV

6) My kids won’t respect me if I discipline them

“We have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them.”  Heb 12:9

7) Folly is something children grow out of

“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”  Prov 22:15

8) Kids only need to be taught to obey

A child can obey without honoring. Kids are to both obey and honor their parents.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother.”  Eph 6:1-2

9) Disciplining my kids doesn’t work

“Discipline. . . yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”  Heb 12:11

10) Discipline isn’t good for my kids

“Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.”  Prov 23:13-14

11) It’s ok if I lose control while disciplining my children

It’s NEVER ok to lose control on your children.  “The fruit of the Spirit is. . . self-control”  Gal 5:22-23

Losing control is child abuse.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  Eph 6:4

12) Parents should punish their kids

Parents should discipline their kids. God the Father “disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” Heb 12:10

Parents should discipline for the same reason.

God punished Jesus for all of our sins. “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.”  Is 53:5

13) No matter how I train them, children could still depart from it

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Prov 22:6

14) I can’t discipline my kids until they are old enough to understand

God doesn’t wait until we understand, to discipline us. He “disciplines us for our good.” Heb 12:10

Parents should discipline as soon as their children need it so “that it may go well with” them and that they “may live long”.  Eph 6:3

15) Giving my kids choices teaches them wisdom

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”  Prov 9:10

16) Discipline doesn’t have to be painful

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant.”  Heb 12:11

17) Discipline is primarily about parent and child

Discipline is primarily about child and God. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord.”  Eph 6:1

18) I can’t discipline my kids for disobeying things not prohibited in the bible

You can discipline your kids for disobeying everything you tell them to obey. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Col 3:20

19) My kids are a special case… They’re not like your kids

All children are by nature children of wrath with folly bound up in them.
“we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” Eph 2:3
“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”  Prov 22:15

20) Tantrums are okay

It’s never okay to throw tantrums. A tantrum is selfish, manipulative, defiant, and rebellious – all of which are sin.