Administration of Corrective Discipline
189
should. One day they pass over the wrongdoings of their children, and
the next day they manifest no patience or self-control. They do not
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keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment. They are often
more guilty than are their children.
Some children will soon forget a wrong that is done to them by
father and mother; but other children who are differently constituted
cannot forget severe, unreasonable punishment which they did not
deserve. Thus their souls are injured, and their minds bewildered. The
mother loses her opportunities to instill right principles into the mind
of the child, because she did not maintain self-control and manifest a
well-balanced mind in her deportment and words
Be so calm, so free from anger, that they will be convinced that
you love them, even though you punish them
Inducements Are Sometimes Better Than Punishment—I have
felt such a deep interest in this line of work that I have adopted children
in order that they might be trained in right lines. Instead of punishing
them when they did wrong, I would hold out inducements to them
to do right. One was in the habit of throwing herself on the floor if
she could not have her own way. I said to her, “If you will not lose
your temper once today, your uncle White and I will take you in the
carriage, and we will have a happy day in the country. But if you throw
yourself on the floor once, you will forfeit your right to the pleasure.”
I worked in this way for these children, and now I feel thankful that I
had the privilege of doing this work
Deal With Wrong Promptly, Wisely, Firmly—Disobedience
must be punished. Wrongdoing must be corrected. The iniquity that is
bound up in the heart of a child must be met and overcome by parents
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and teachers. Wrong must be dealt with promptly and wisely, with
firmness and decision. Hatred of restraint, love of self-indulgence,
indifference to things of eternity, must be carefully dealt with. Unless
evil is eradicated, the soul will be lost. And more than this: he who
gives himself up to follow in Satan’s lead seeks constantly to entice
others. From our children’s earliest years we should seek to subdue in
them the spirit of the world
17
Manuscript 38, 1895
.
18
Manuscript 2, 1903
.
19
Manuscript 95, 1909
.
20
Letter 166, 1901
.