Wise Parenting: Guidelines from the Book of Proverbs

Often people use one or two verses from the book of Proverbs to develop a whole system of discipline for their children—particularly verses encouraging corporal punishment. Author Paul Wegner points out that in reality, Proverbs, when taken as a whole, encourages its readers to use multiple levels of discipline for effectiveness. The levels fall into three main categories: learning guidelines, reiterating guidelines, and enforcing guidelines. These progressive levels of discipline have been used for generations to curb misbehavior; in fact, it’s the same type of discipline God uses with His people.