My son is 15. He is at the age where it is natural to make many mistakes every day. Some of these are errors based on ignorance. Some of these are errors based on character. It is important for the father to know the difference between discipline and training. Some things need to be punished, and some things need to be trained into a young man’s core
It is a mistake to punish your son when he should be trained. I’ve found a useful metaphor for communicating with him. The father may find it necessary to help the son understand this process. If not, he can grow discouraged and give up any hope. When you correct your son, you must always imply that he is going to master this issue in the future. Without this expression of confidence, he is likely to experience it only as a reminder of his inadequacy. We must be careful not to let our corrections become barbs.
