God’s ways form a circle of submission to parental authority.
(^)
(^) Submission to parents means honoring and obeying. Within that
circle is blessing and long life. As soon as your child steps out of that
circle of safety, he needs to be rescued from the danger of stubborn
independence from your authority. Your authority represents God’s
authority. (Remember, you function as agents of God.) The rescue
squad is Mom or Dad, armed with the methods God has given—
namely the rod and communication.
(^) In these early years of childhood, the rod is primary. It is primary
because God has commanded it. Remember, God says that “Folly is
bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it
far from him” (Proverbs 22:15).
(^) A young child does not give proper weight to words alone. His
attention is secured when those words are punctuated by a sound
spanking.
The “When” of Spanking
(^) When does a child need a spanking? When you have given a
directive that he has heard and is within his capacity to understand,
and he has not obeyed without challenge, without excuse or without
delay, he needs a spanking. If you fail to spank, you fail to take God’s
Word seriously. You are saying you do not believe what the Bible