Of course, in our culture, there is less and less respect for parental authority, and, as a result, for all authority. John Dewey, the humanistic philosopher, told a revealing personal anecdote. One day while reading downstairs, Dewey noticed water dripping from above. He raced upstairs and flung open the bathroom door. There sat his son in the bathtub, water up to the brim, playing with his toy boats.
Authority is the right to rule.
This means that we must always use our authority in ways consistent with His revealed will. As authorities under God, we must honour His word above all else. To honour His word, we need to insure that our children follow our word each time and every time. We are God's representatives, and by enforcing obedience to our instructions, we are teaching them both to obey His specific command to honour parents and the importance of obeying His commands in general. A godly family makes a point of always requiring respect for authority.