The Last Line of Punishment

Punishment, when used appropriately, has a purpose.


It corrects.

It provides an opportunity for restoration.

It values long-term fruit over temporary pleasure.

It is a form of love.

It grants wisdom.


Teaching children, I have experimented with various kinds of punishment, such as standing in a corner, writing extra homework, being left out of games or movies, being scolded, and the shame of failure or inadequacies.


I always thought the last line of punishment to be calling the parents, which can sometimes be more intimidating for a child than the punishment from their teacher.


But there is another form of punishment that I never saw as a punishment before.


Expulsion.

Being expelled from school.


As a kid, this seemed like a reward more than a punishment.

Unlike Saturday school, you don't have to come to school at all and you can do whatever you want at home.

With this kind of punishment, wouldn't kids want to get expelled?


But now I realize what the last line of punishment really is:

Giving them everything they want.

Not just some things, but everything.


Can you imagine if we gave a child everything he or she wanted?

They would love it, of course, playing games and eating whatever they wanted.

It would be paradise and they would parade their new lifestyle in front of all their friends.


But it wouldn't take long before the family went bankrupt or the kid was living in his or her own filth.

It wouldn't take long before that child was filled with anxiety and depression with no reason to live.


May it never come to the last line of punishment, but if it does, may they quickly realize their own error before it's too late.


The next time you are running out of options and you have no other punishment left to give out...


Remember that the worst punishment is to give someone everything he or she wants.