Doctrine & Covenants 121

In Summing Up: Lessons to Guide Your Parenting, the author repeats the same advice that God gave us about disciplining when says “It's important that parents learn to talk to children in a way that is not enraging, doesn't inflict hurt, doesn't diminish their children's self-confidence, or cause them to lose faith in their competence and self-worth.”

In the article, there is an example when a taxi driver talks with anger to a kid, and the kid just answers “"Is this the way you talk to a doctor”. I will increase the level of the authority figure with the question: Is this the way you talk to the son of God?

The other counsel that God gave to the prophet Joseph Smith is to show the other the mistake, but don’t forget to show greater evidence of genuine love. How do I do both at the same time? In the chapter there are some helpful suggestions:

1. The beginning of wisdom is listening.

2. Acknowledge the child's perceptions, feelings, wishes, tastes, opinions, character, or experience.

3. Use guidance.

4. Start with the pronoun "I" when you are angry.

5. Describe the specific acts without evaluating character traits.

6. Learn to say "no".

7. Give children a choice and a voice in matters that affect their lives.

Physical punishment is an abuse of authority and produces bad consequences, and the kid could consider their parents as his enemy. Also, it is important to mention that evidence shows that kids with physical punishment tend to become aggressive with peers.