Discipline and Merry-go-rounds

In fourth grade, I was grounded for pushing Jody Foster off the merry-go-round. My best friend and I were the top-dogs in the popular girls' circle, and Jody wanted to play with us...so we devised a game where she would run toward the merry-go-round and we would keep her off. The game ended at a massive size of about 20 girls pushing Jody off and her landing in a mud puddle. (That's the cliff notes version.)

This story is not one of my bright shining moments.

But it was formative.

What formed me, however, was my parents' response to the incident. I remember the look of saddness (worse than disappointment) on their faces as they read the note sent home by the principal--followed by a pain-staking 24 hours of deciding on an appropriate punishment, which included a consultation with my teacher, Mrs. Nicholaus.

For two, long weeks I came home from school grabbed a snack and went directly to my parents' room. I sat there until dinner, ate with the family, and returned to their room until bed time.

I remember feeling like a martyr because of the 20 girls in my class...I was the ONLY one whose parents decided to discipline.

Discipline.

I read this morning in a psychology book that discipline explores "our capacity to do the unnatural, to transcend and hence transform our own nature."

It's funny at the time, I felt like a martyr...but now I feel blessed that my parents recognized the importance of transcending my own nature. It's natural to feel self-important and to destroy others. Two weeks of solitary confinement taught me to do the unnatural--show compassion and give myself for others.

"Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:9-11)