No Rod, Parental Shame

The riots in GB cities recently have thrown up the usual responses from politicians and other do-gooders. A "Community pay-back" scheme with offenders wearing luminous vests has been suggested by Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Glegg. Other forms of community service have been proposed, but these will come to nothing.
The Bible says the following: "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother shame." This ties in with what some angry citizens have been saying, that the problem is lack of parental control and responsibility. Parents must surely get back to basics if their children are to be a blessing to them. They must consider (1) that proper correction in the home is beneficial to the child, the parents, other siblings and to the whole community. Teaching them from a young age the different between right and wrong, good and evil, can only be proper because it educates the conscience of the child. When they transgress, they must be appropriately corrected. If the child heeds the parents' reproof without recourse to the rod, well and good; but if not, then the responsibility rests on the parent to secure and ensure proper behaviour from their child. This produces wisdom. The child that takes the warning will gain wisdom.

(2) Any child that is left to his own inclinations is a child that does not know the right way to live. Such a child will bring shame on his mother and father. He/she will disobey the parents and bring disgrace on their good name. They will cause them needless worry and anxiety, not to mention embarrassment. Left to himself, that child could well end up in prison because he has stolen, or worse, murdered someone. A child does not have the wisdom to stay away from bad company, but does possess the unwisdom that takes them into bad company.

Had the British parents administered the rod in due measure, perhaps their children and young people would not have been involved in those riots.