Through the intentional development of these elements, parents prepare their child for a future full of hope, will power, purpose, and competence and nurture a personality characterized by drive, self-control, direction, and method. Consequences vs. Punishment Discipline is the ability to listen to the voice of another, understand the message, act upon it, and integrate it into your value system. It leads to true obedience or discipleship, that is, listening to the voice of God and responding positively. Discipline formation involves mutual respect, listening, truth, boundaries, standards, expectations, accountability, acceptance of logical consequences, and the intentional efforts of parents and teachers. Discipline is not a synonym for punishment.
Punishment is a penalty inflicted for an offense.
At best, punishment is an ineffective tool in the formation of authentic self-discipline. At worst, it motivates further misbehavior in vengeful ways because punishment will be perceived by a child as unfair, arbitrary, hurtful, unreasonable, or disproportionate. Neither is the reward method effective for character building. It makes the parents responsible for their child's behavior and prevents children from learning to make their own decisions and internalizing a code for positive discernment. The reward dynamic also encourages the idea that appropriate behavior is an expectation only when an adult is present or another person is looking at me or evaluating me.