“A bad teacher”

Think a Minute … Do you sometimes feel that the only way your kids will listen and obey you is if you get angry with them?

We can understand the school teacher who said she hates her job because the only way she can control her class of naughty children is to always be angry with them!

Many parents get so tired and frustrated from being angry with their children. But we think our being angry is the only way our kids will take us seriously. But does using anger really work to teach our children well?

Imagine you’re driving your car too fast, breaking the speed limit. And a policeman who is not on duty or in uniform sees you.

But he has no authority to stop and ticket you. So this policeman gets angry and starts screaming and yelling at you as you speed by.

Would you slow down and drive by the rules just because a man by the road is angry and screaming at you? Probably not! So the only thing that man accomplished was to make himself look foolish.

But we parents sometimes do the same thing when we use our anger to correct and teach our children. When our kids see us not able to control our own anger, it’s hard for them to truly respect us. Because we expect them to do something we cannot do ourselves.

That’s why anger is a bad teacher. But when we keep our cool and control our anger each time we correct or discipline our children, we’re teaching our kids well, not only by what we say, but by our example of how controlled and calmly we say it.

But you know, even patient, good parents have their limits! And kids sometimes push us past our limits. That’s why we need Jesus Christ to give us His supernatural patience and love every day.

Only His kind of will power can help us control our anger, no matter how stressful or maddening our kids get! So friend, won’t you ask Jesus to forgive you for your past mistakes and failures as a parent, and ask Him to take full charge of your heart and character everyday?

Because it’s only then we can become the good example and parent our kids need.

Just, Think a Minute…

Samoa Observer

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