Consequences: Why & How to Give Them

Consequences are a very effective tool to change bad behavior. However, like any useful tool, if used incorrectly, they can also be harmful. It's very important that consequences are given in love with the purpose of training right behavior. Find out how to give consequences correctly.

This is an excerpt from the book Parenting with Focus by Katie Ely.

“Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.” - Ephesians 6:4 (Good News Translation)

The Two Parts of Training

The secret to having well-behaved children is to train them. Proverbs 22:6 instructs parents to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he won’t depart from it.” The question is: How exactly do you train up children?

There are two distinct parts to training children:

1. Instructing and practicing proper behavior.