Book Nook: Put the Disciple into Discipline

For many parents, discipline simply means punishment or consequences to correct behavior. But it means more than that - and that's the premise of a book I got to review, Put the Disciple into Discipline. This book, written by a mother-daughter team, gives parents tips on how to not just discipline, but really disciple kids.

To disciple someone, or to be a disciple, involves following, learning, going along with the teachings. As parents, we should want more than our kids simply are compliant with the rules - becoming disciples means they are in agreement with them.

That can be really tricky to do, especially in moments of frustration. But this book explains in practical ways how to turn transgressions into teaching moments, how to build relationships even while giving out consequences, and how to lay the foundation of a parent-child relationship that brings kids closer to their parents, and also to God.

This book is written well enough that even people who don't consider themselves religious can use some of the strategies to incorporate whatever belief system or values they want to pass on. While the point of discipling is to turn kids towards God, that can be adapted to any religion (or non-religion) as simply a way of living with foundational moral principles. However, it is particularly appropriate to Christian families who want children to see the parent-child relationship as a parallel, however imperfect, to the God-human relationship.