The Oxford Dictionary defines the word discipline as”the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior”. Hence, the rules and code of behaviour are aligned with the specific set of goals. When there is a lack of understanding of why high discipline is linked to high achievement, opportunities are lost. In other words, when we set high expectations for our children, it is necessary to ask whether they are well-disciplined to achieve the desired results. However, in some cases, parents and caregivers invest so much in material things to facilitate high achievement and do minimal on behaviour development. We now know that professionals are obliged to follow certain codes of behaviour. Yet there is laxity in emphasizing a strict code of behaviour for our children. How will they manage to transition to professional life? The Swahili saying puts it rightly, “Mtoto wa nyoka ni nyoka” which translates to “the child of a snake is a snake.” The parents and caregivers influence the discipline level of children. Thus, the call for setting a high standard for behaviour should start with parents and caregivers since the best our children can achieve is linked to the level of discipline.
We can learn from Jesus Christ, who had high expectations for his disciples and summarized the Ten Commandments to two of them: the love of God and the neighbour (cf. Matthew 22:37-40). The love of God reveals the righteousness that is unconditional as the highest standard of relationship. If God loves us unconditionally, we too ought to set rules and codes of behaviour that are unconditional.
CALISCO aims to train parents and caregivers to be guided by unconditional love when relating to children. The unconditional love propels parents and caregivers to labour in ensuring the children achieve what they were created for. Thus, accompanying children requires the same attitude as a midwife to a pregnant woman. Our children deserve to be nurtured by highly disciplined parents and caregivers with a friendly attitude.