And when it comes to being angry – righteous anger is not wrong – unrighteous anger is useless/and can be harmful. James 1:20 should always guide your motivation/actions for disciplining your kids. Burney adds: affection, affection, affection. God’s discipline will always come from love – not from frustration!
The best strategy is to NEVER indulge anger born from frustration. Always take a moment, take a breath, and give a measured response to your child(ren) – even when you feel everything is spinning out of control!
Send a child to their room (or separate yourself to gather perspective) – gain control over your emotions – and then deal with whatever situation. Getting good at this is a huge part of parenting in a way that teaches your kids self-control – and doesn’t feed an example of your own bad self-control.
We suggest to parents that putting a simple chart on the fridge where you can give a child a red star (bad behavior) and a silver star (good behavior) can then be visited when Dad gets home. This allows for relief for the daytime caregiver and instils a greater sense of responsibility in your child(ren) as they grow.