But maybe God knew what He was doing when He created the world that way. The Torah sees the parent-child relationship as a model for our relationship with God. For that reason, the commandment to honor our parents is placed together with the commandments dealing with our relationship to God. Children are born dependent. They rely on their bigger and wiser parents to protect them and to guide them, just as we rely on an omnipotent and omniscient God.
Children learn from their parents that they are subject to rule and that authority commands respect.
Far from granting parents unlimited authority to punish children in any manner they want, the analogy between the parent-child relationship and our relationship with God imposes severe restrictions on parents. God created the world only to bestow good on others. Prior to creation, He was complete unto Himself. Everything that happens in this world conforms to that purpose. Those punishments are forward looking, not punitive.