Let your “yes” be YES and your “NO” be no.

One of the keys to being a parent is being fair but also ALWAYS being honest.

As dads in today’s society, it is hard to be stern.

Fear that we will come off as abusive is always present.

But discipline does not always need to be by a belt.

IN FACT, this is not to argue for or against spankings, that can come later.

This post is about creating the next generation of leaders.

True discipline arises by being honest.

Saying “NO” to a child and then giving in later says one thing about you as a leader, “You are a liar.”

Likewise, when you say “YES” and then change your mind.

Now, this is not to say that things don’t come up that will change your mind. Things out of your control.

But if your mind is changed out of guilt for being too harsh, or your child crying… or… then what have you taught your child?

When you state, “if you do ‘X’, you will get disciplined” and then the child does “X” but you feel bad, so you don’t discipline. What does this state to your child?

Remember the best thing that you can teach your child is that no matter what, is that you are not a liar.

In this, you start developing a sense of integrity in your child.

And in a world where integrity seems to be falling by the wayside, I think building it up in tomorrow’s business leaders is a good thing.

After 20 years in the U.S. Army, Stuart Skym has become a proven leader in the field of Health and Safety in industrial, civil, and offshore construction. He is currently the Sr EHS Manager Seattle Area Civil Construction. He holds numerous graduate degrees, his most recent receiving a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from Taft University and is currently working on his Doctorate of Strategic Leadership at Liberty University. His focus is on teaching others to raise their children in a manner that will allow them to become respectable care givers in the future? Stuart and his wife Sherry, live in Coupeville, Washington and have four children and adore their one grandchild.

Feature Photo by FURKAN GÜNEŞ: