My son is five years old. He was very naughty, and often acted against me. One day, my sister-in-law said to me, “You just don’t have authority, so your son isn’t afraid of you. Look at my son, he is such a good boy after my strict instruction? You’re so useless, you can’t even deal with a child!” I thought it was a disgrace. Once, my son was mischievous again, and even refused to have his dinner. As my sister-in-law was present then, in order to prove my authority, I took a whip out and struck the edge of the table hard with it on purpose. At the big sounds of that, my son immediately behaved well, and I was quite satisfied with it. From then on, I would discipline him with the whip if he didn’t do what I said. However, as time passed, such practice brought about a consequence: I had to talk with him with a whip in my hand every day, or he wouldn’t listen to me. For several times, I found he broke off or threw away the whip behind my back. He even shouted at his little cousin and tried to get his cousin to listen to him, by imitating me to point the whip at his cousin…. My son’s behavior astounded me and I began to wonder: how should I educate a child?
Until one day, I read a passage of God’s words, “God created these two persons, and He regarded them as His companions, and He, as their only family, took care of their life and their food, clothing, shelter, and travel. Here, God appeared as the parent of Adam and Eve. In this thing God did, men cannot see God’s loftiness, cannot see God’s supremacy, and cannot see God’s mysteriousness and unfathomableness, much less see God’s wrath and majesty, but they only see God’s humbleness and God’s lovingkindness and see God’s concern for man and God’s responsibility and loving care for man. God treated Adam and Eve with the same attitude and in the same way as human parents are concerned about their children and also as human parents tenderly love, look after, and care for their children, true and real and visible and tangible. God did not stand in His lofty position but personally made the coats of skins for mankind and clothed them. Whether the coats were used to cover their shame or protect them against the cold, anyway, God did this thing in person and with His own hands, and it was not that God made the coats by a thought or by performing a sign to cover man’s body as people have imagined, but that He practically did a thing that mankind does not think He could do or should do. Although this thing is simple and men even think that it is not worth mentioning, it causes all those who follow God but have been full of vague imaginations about God to see God’s realness and God’s loveliness and see God’s faithfulness and God’s humbleness.” I saw His true love and His practicalness in His deeds. He didn’t stand in a high position but treated man as His family, showing concern, care, and love for them. God is so practical. God could accomplish a thing by a thought or a word. However, He didn’t act like that to man but made things for them with His own hands: God made the coats of skins for mankind carefully with His heart. There is so much loveliness in God. Yet I, as a mother, only stood in a high position, thinking: I am an adult. I am your mom and you ought to listen to me. And I often required my son to act in this way or that way with a harsh and commanding tone. If he didn’t act according to my will, I would shout at him and force him to obey me with a whip. Although I did it with a good intention for him, things often went contrary to my hope. In the thought of those, I felt regret for my past actions and made a resolution not to treat my son like before.
From then on, when he was mischievous, I didn’t felt angry anymore, but started to learn to understand and forbear with him. If he did something wrong, I would communicate with him, making him know his fault and why I didn’t allow him to do so. Beyond my expectation, my son listened to me and corrected the mistake immediately when I practiced in that way. I thanked God with all my heart for that. It was God who changed me and made me know how to educate a child according to His words. Thanks be to God!
