Does God Believe in Tough Love?
By Jean Jantzen Both Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura advocate it. There’s even an organization—Tough Love International—to help parents deal with out-of-control children. A practicing family psychiatrist has written a book calling for parents to use tough love. But the concept of tough love originated back in the first few pages of the Bible—long before the creation of any support group or self-help manual. Our Creator offers tough love to those He loves. “The things which hurt, instruct.”—Ben Franklin n The Epidemic: the Rot of American Culture, Robert Shaw, a practicing family psychiatrist and head of the Family Institute of Berkeley, California, writes, “Far too many children today are sullen, unfriendly, distant, preoccupied… They whine, nag and throw tantrums and demand constant attention from their parents…” Shaw lists 15 ways to “ruin your children and your life,” which include “give in to your child’s whims… let your child think he is the boss of the universe… and don’t supervis
