58 INTIMIDATING A CHILD CREATES A FEARFUL,
ANGRY ADULT.

“You will obey me or I will beat you until the sun don’t shine,” yelled the angry parent.

Instilling fear of you in a child sows seeds of destruction into our relationship.

Intimidation tries to control a child by fear. A child learns to fear the parent and obeys the parent fearing emotional or physical pain—which is usually abusive.

Physical intimidation uses beating.

Emotional intimidation uses angry, tearing, degrading, undignified words and actions.

Mental intimidation plays mind games with a child and tries to make a child look dumb or ignorant.

Spiritual intimidation uses the Bible as a legal whip and pictures God as an angry, wrathful, judging tyrant.

All intimidation is abusive.

If you intimidate your child or anyone else in your family, get help. Go to a pastor, counselor, or helping professional. You are a danger to yourself and others.

Out of fear, a child may obey an intimidating parent outwardly, but inwardly that child will become rebellious and mean. That child will learn to intimidate others and will grow up into an abusive parent.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim. 1:7)