There's a way to prayerfully discipline yourself first, with self-denial and other good biblical choices. There's a time to rightly dicipline children as well -- there's indeed a way to avoid miss-disciplining. If you abuse in any manner, just stop it.

Parents, if you're misworshiping and always defending your children's sins, (and sometimes they'll blow it cuz we're all sinners, right).. then one day, you'll be paying for their defense in criminal court cases. 

Some forms of discipline are good, and some are moronic.

Boomers have often been mocked for their lack of self-discipline. Not all. 

Q: Have you noticed any aberrant Gen X/Y/millennial trends like ghosting friends and loved ones? Or like with self-discipline..  or disciplining upwards instead of inward (towards self with a fleshly nature), or downward like with children periodically needing some of that.

Ladies, if you regularly show disrespect to your mother, she might very well limit her time with you. If you miss and don't set proper boundaries, or are punishing your elders.. say into another one of your unjustified time-outs even when they're silent.. they're probably going to enjoy and prefer that space much better, opting to stay paused. If the word protection is used--the small ones need to be protected for the foolish parents Just sayin', that'd be normal huh.

We personally have more than one friend In South Carolina and one in Oregon who explained that how adult children intentionally used the grandchildren (as weapons sort of) to cause them pain as punishment or maybe revenge.. until our friends moved far away.

Do you delegate assignments upward at work or discipline minus authority there? A family is not a workplace, and you are not your boss' or parents authority.

How do you punish others.. wisely or foolishly?

Faithful and biblical (wise) child-rearing places the responsibility for discipline squarely upon parents, not on extended family members or teachers or police. 

Scripture addresses proper discipline as an essential component of loving instruction, though believers differ on methods—some advocating corporal discipline such as spanking, while others prefer non-physical measures like time-outs or removal of privileges. 

I often say that the Spirit's last name is Holy and that's how it should remain with your life too. What about in disciplining? How do we deal with that. Have you sought out godly counsel in this area?

The primary question is not preference but fidelity to the Word of God and wise Holy: What do the Scriptures actually teach?

The Bible affirms that discipline—properly administered with restraint, wisdom, and love—is both appropriate and beneficial for a child’s moral and spiritual formation. This is not an endorsement of harshness or any abuse. Scripture never permits discipline that inflicts injury or arises from uncontrolled anger. Rather, it commends measured correction that seeks the child’s good and guides him or her toward righteousness and life.

When and where in the entire Bible can you see an adult son or daughter punishing their Christian parent by putting them into anything like a time-out away from their grandkids? Verse and chapter, please?

Go look. There is not a single verse, chapter, or narrative in all 66 books of the Bible where:

• An adult child even slightly disciplines or tried to train a parent

• A son rebukes a father as an authority reversal

• A daughter places a mother under Any sort of corrective punishment

• A “time-out” model is applied upward

It never happens even once (It was shocking enough to see the prodigal son demand his inheritance early. It was like saying, Dad, I wish you were dead). The biblical structure of authority is clear:

• God → Parents → Children

• Never Children → Parents

"Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul." Proverbs 29:17 

There could come a time to rebuke a younger Christian or a time to respectfully reprove an older Christian, but that is only when they have clearly sinned!

What is the conviction of sin? It's something a caloused fool who is full of themselves needs to start experiencing!

An open rebuke where sin is -- that's much better than secret love huh (Proverbs 27:5)?

Jesus rebuked the lost scribes and Pharisees and harshly!

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin?

When is it necessary to rebuke another believer or your parents? Has there been sin or real abuse?

Honor may look different in adulthood than in childhood obedience, but Scripture never authorizes role reversal in discipline. governing principles:

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1. Children At Any Age Are Commanded to Obey and Honor Parents

Ephesians 6:1–3

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’”

This command is never reversed in adulthood. Honor does not expire with age.

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2. Dishonor Toward Parents Was Treated as a Very Serious Sin

Exodus 20:12

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

Leviticus 20:9

“For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.”

Proverbs 20:20

“If one curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in utter darkness.”

The trajectory of Scripture is the protection of parental authority — not its reversal. An adult child has zero authority over their parent. The parent has no authority over their adult son. 

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3. Discipline Flows Downward, Not Upward

Proverbs 13:24

“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

Hebrews 12:9

“Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?”

The pattern is consistent:

• God disciplines His children.

• Fathers discipline their children.

• Authority is not portrayed as moving upward from child to parent.

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4. Even When Parents Fail, the Child’s Duty Is Still Honor

Consider David and Saul (though not a parent relationship, it illustrates authority). David refused to raise his hand against the king, even when Saul acted wickedly.

1 Samuel 24:6

“The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him…”

The biblical instinct is restraint and reverence toward established authorities — not correction through humiliation. Stick to training your own children and ditch your beloved fake news for the good news of Jesus. He can help any parent untwist but they've twisted themselves into.

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5. Jesus Reinforced Parental Honor

Mark 7:9–13

Jesus rebuked those who tried to sidestep caring for their parents through lame religious excuses:

“For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’… But you say… thus making void the word of God by your tradition.”

Even in adulthood, honoring and caring for parents remained binding. 

Sin makes young sons and daughters STUPID. It could also make old people STUPID, but they should have more wisdom from the Lord's leading through the years. It's always smart to refrain from acting or speaking arrogantly. You don't really want to persist in behaving like the southern end of a northbound misdirected stubborn mule?  That's why God gave us all the book of Proverbs gives wise and clear counsel:

“Do not withhold discipline from a child;

if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

If you strike him with the rod,

you will save his soul from Sheol.”

—Proverbs 23:13–14 (ESV)

This passage, together with related verses (Proverbs 13:24; 22:15; 20:30), underscores that discipline can be very good for kids, including restrained physical correction. It is meant to rescue a child from destructive paths. The aim is not punishment for punishment’s sake, but loving intervention that steers a young heart away from folly and toward wisdom.

Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that discipline is indispensable for shaping godly character. When children grow up without correction, they often become rebellious, lack respect for authority, and struggle to submit to God. Conversely, disciplined training prepares them to walk in obedience and reverence. The Lord Himself models such loving correction:

“Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law.”

—Psalm 94:12 (ESV)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

—Proverbs 1:7 (ESV)

“For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”

—Proverbs 6:23 (ESV)

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

—Proverbs 12:1 (ESV)

“A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

—Proverbs 13:1 (ESV)

“A fool despises his father’s instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.”

—Proverbs 15:5 (ESV)

“O Lord, by these things men live,

and in all these is the life of my spirit.

Oh restore me to health and make me live!”

—Isaiah 38:16 (ESV)

“Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?”

—Hebrews 12:9 (ESV)

Children need our hugs, good words, and our affirmation, but they also need to know what the proper parameters are, as well as the clear ramifications for crossing them. Yes, that, too, is love.

The cure for crime is not in the electric chair, (which doesn't cure cuz it's a protection for citizens)... it is in the high chair. So prayerfully start early. Love your children and do so by wisely disciplining them too.

Need 5 reasons why God tells us we should discipline our children?

1. We discipline our children to remove that foolishness from them. Proverbs 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him.”
2. We discipline our children to rescue them from God's judgment. Proverbs 23:13–14 tells us, “Don’t fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won’t kill them. Physical discipline may well save them from death” (NLT).
3. We discipline our children to give them wisdom. Godless children really lack wisdom. According to Proverbs 29:15, “To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child” (NLT).
4. We discipline our children to relieve our anxiety. As Proverbs 29:17 says, “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; yes, he will give delight to your soul.”
5. We discipline our children so they might reflect God’s holy, noble character. Hebrews 12:10–11 says, “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (NLT).

Know this: God will hold us accountable one day. He has given us this charge, this responsibility. It isn’t optional. God has commanded us as parents to bring our children up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

The right kind of discipline is not merely to be corrective but life-giving; it clearly instructs to give understanding. It helps to restore children and can lead them toward maturity and reverence for God.

All are to carefully and wisely apply biblical principles when disciplining their children, instead of their parents. Are you in a stage life for child-rearing?:

“The rod and reproof give wisdom,

but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”

—Proverbs 29:15 (ESV)

Here, the emphasis lies on wise correction combined with instruction. The warning is clear: neglecting discipline harms both the child and the family. Yet Scripture is equally clear that discipline must never become an outlet for parental anger or frustration. Its purpose is always restorative, never abusive. The New Testament explains the deeper purpose of discipline:

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

—Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)

God’s own discipline is loving and purposeful, and parental discipline should mirror that same compassionate intent. When correction is given, it ought to be accompanied by reassurance of love, helping the child understand that discipline flows from care, not rejection. Such moments become opportunities to teach that just as God disciplines His children out of love, so parents lovingly train their own.

At the same time, Scripture does not mandate a single uniform method of discipline. While it affirms the legitimacy of restrained physical correction, its ultimate concern is the cultivation of godly character rather than the exclusive use of one technique. Some children respond more effectively to non-physical forms of correction—such as time-outs, loss of privileges, or grounding. When such methods genuinely produce repentance and behavioral change, parents may wisely employ them, provided the goal remains the child’s spiritual and moral growth.

Modern legal contexts add complexity for sure. We see all kinds of things happening. Much is bad, and some of it addresses all kinds of horrible abuses. 

I don't think governments should be parenting our kids, but I also don't think we should leave kids In front of the TV as babysitters or alone to parent themselves. 

Get right with God, your loving Father who onlydisciplines His kids smartly. Believers are instructed to respect governing authorities:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.."

Therefore, live principled lives, and be a disciplined wise person in the wise way. Jesus Christ is God's wise way for you and the scriptural principles are God's will for you. I find the harder I go on myself (on my flesh and fleshly nature with discipline) in life, not in some destructive or bad way.. then the better life goes on me.