Instructions: Love and teach your child what things are unacceptable.

I mean, without even furrowing my brow I can think of 10 things that I would never accept in my child:

1. Temper tantrums
2. Stealing
3. Emotional abuse
4. Physical abuse
5. Bigotry
6. Racism
7. Narcissism
8. Dishonesty
9. Hate
10. Ungratefulness

My kids weren’t born with any values. They were insufferable creatures who screamed, pooped, peed, and slept whenever they felt like it with zero regard for anyone else in the family. Their mother and I simply didn’t accept this. We expended lots of time and energy forcing schedules, menus, hygiene practices and other stuff onto our kids. (Yes. ‘Forced’ is the right term.)

If any of my children (whom I love dearly) suggested that love requires my complete acceptance of every belief and behavior, I laughed at them. Because children need to learn that they are capable of saying stupid things and that has consequences. In my family, we mock dumb ideas. I loved my kids too much to applaud their foolishness.

Lazy, unloving parents indoctrinate their innocent offspring with the hellish belief that everything is acceptable. These parents don’t care about truth. They love the approval of strangers on social media more than their kids. As their children devolve into unhappy, unlovable narcissists, these parents lecture me on the dangers of discipline —“Your kids will grow to resent you!”

No. They won’t.

I taught them it isn’t acceptable for children to disrespect their parents.

(Proverbs 22:15) Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.