When To and Not To Apologize

Last night on the radio I was reminded of an important clarification that needs to be made.

 A child was confused by a parent that gave her consequences for
what she deserved, but later apologized for doing so. The speaker explained the parent falsely believes that disciplining a child weakens the relationship. The parent doesn’t understand that discipline is love.

 Proverbs 3: 12 “because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a
father the son he delights in”

 Although I have talked several times about the importance of apologizing to our children for our inappropriate behavior, that does not include discipline. Our giving a consequence for wrong behavior is: loving our child enough to not allow them to disrespect us or God’s commands. 
 
I Timothy 3: 4 “He must manage his own family well and see that
his children obey him with proper respect.”

 The only apologies necessary are for our lack of self-control—“I
shouldn’t have spoken that way.” “It was not ok for me to throw the spoon down in a huff.” “Please forgive me for disrespecting Dad by walking away.”

 Discipline is needed—attitude is not.