Self-Discipline
The ability to discipline ourselves seems to be the impossible dream for many people. Here is the catch: if you don’t learn to discipline yourself, someone will do it for you. That is a fact…whether you like it or not.
I had a first grader that was out of control in the lunchroom. He threw someone’s lunch box across the room. Unfortunately for him, I saw it and told him he was going to have to go to the back of the lunchroom to sit by himself. He looked at me with bold defiance and said, “No, I am NOT going!” He flat out told me, “I don’t CARE if I get in trouble.” Wow. This coming from a first grader!
I looked at him and calmly said, “You can either come with me to the back of the room, or I will have that policeman over there come and get you. Which do you prefer?” He looked at me with disgust and said, “Oh…alright…I will go with YOU.” LOL. It is funny how someone with a gun and badge gets the attention of offenders…at least most of the time.
The thing that broke my heart about this kid is that I found out he had just got out of a discipline meeting with the Principal of the school just before he came to lunch! Obviously he did not learn anything in that meeting.
I have seen folks go sideways with those in authority and it never goes well for them. The problems seem to escalate until someone is hurt, put in jail, or killed. If you are a parent, please do your part to set the proper example for your kids and reinforce respect for authority. It is sad to hear what comes out of the mouths of some of these kids…some as young as Kindergarten. They don’t even know what they are saying. All they know is, Mom and Dad say this when they get upset, so it must be OK for ME to say it when I get mad.
Kids who do not learn self-discipline at an early age are being set up to have a very rough life or no life at all. There is always going to be someone in authority at school, work, or in the government that will hold them accountable. It is better to learn self-discipline than suffer the consequences of the alternatives, don’t you think?
Shalom!
Dan Skognes