As parents, we need a plan to respond to our children when they are disobedient. Ginger Hubbard, author of I Can’t Believe You Just Said That: Biblical Wisdom for Taming Your Child’s Tongue helps parents move beyond the outward behaviors of children to address the issues of the heart from a biblical perspective. Ginger says that by moving past the idea that parenting is about rigid rule-setting or behavior management, we can set aside ineffective practices such as scolding, ignoring the offense, or merely administering punishment. Instead, we can use opportunities for correction to point our children to the transformational power of Christ.

TAKEAWAYS

Threatening, bribing, and counting to three may manipulate a child’s behavior, but those methods fail to reach the heart

The sins of the tongue stem from the sins of the heart

Asking questions helps children evaluate and take ownership for what’s going on in their hearts

Disciplining children for wrong behavior without training them in right behavior will exasperate them and provoke anger