Discipling your children

 This week I read D&C 121: 41-46. I paid special attention to the footnotes that are associated with these scriptures. I have come away with the following; when you show charity towards your children and use gentle but firm reproval you are more likely to reach your children and teach them about what is right and correct instead of cutting them down and making them feel belittled and unimportant. You need to be sincere in your correction of something done wrong. One of the most important things that you can do when teaching your children is to listen to the Holy Ghost. It might be that you are needing guidance on how to discipline and what you should be saying to them to make them understand how upset you are and why, and what you are expecting of them in the future. You might also seek out the Holy Ghost’s wisdom on what would be a fitting punishment for them so that they do understand the severity or non-severity of what they have done and to feel in their hearts that you, as a parent, do care but that you don’t appreciate the behavior that they are currently exhibiting. The last thing is to have charity. You were once a child yourself and I am sure that you also made mistakes. The children are doing the best that they can with the knowledge that they currently have. It is your job to teach them and guide them. They are looking to you to be the example and how harsh or gentle you are to them will be reflected towards you and to others that they meet in their lives.