There are a large number of rules civilized parents set for their children that never lax, rather they get stricter as we get older. These rules become more strict as we get older because the reason for the rules was never about us. The reasons transcend us, individually. And the reasons still exist no matter what our age is. Really, the older we get, the more we're supposed to understand the reason, agree with the rules, and obey them.
God spoke to us in family terms almost countless times in the Bible. This is in part because He thinks of us as His children, and He wants a relationship much more than a religion.
Here's a real list of rules I am amazed I still have to remind my special needs 10-year-old son of, who in many ways still has the emotional maturity of a 2 or 3-year-old. These are just some of the rules I've reminded him of in the last month:
- Always use your "inside voice" while inside.
- When you sneeze while eating at the dinner table, be sure to cover your mouth.
- Don't stick your fingers in my drink to find out how cold it is.
- Don't take open cups that are full of juice and throw them across the table (nor room).
- Don't pick food out of the garbage can and taste it.
- Don't turn your dinner plate upside down (especially when it's full).
- Don't scrape your metal silverware across your ceramic plate just to listen to the sound.
- Don't pound ceramic plates together to hear the sound.
- Don't yell in mommy's face (nor anyone else's).
- Don't kick or even pretend to kick mommy, nor anyone else.
- Don't pick your nose while talking to someone.
- Don't stick your hands in your underwear.
- Don't wipe your face with the dirty underwear you just took off.
- Don't go potty anywhere in the house but into the toilet.
- Don't open a closed bathroom door before knocking and getting approval.
- Don't stick your hands in the toilet water then immediately lick them.
- Don't lick the liquid hand soap nor chew up the bar soap.
- Don't pull girls hair.
- Don't try to break something (everything) just to experiment and find out if it's breakable.
- Don't make messes you have no intention of helping to clean up.
- Don't break (including smash against the table, floor, or wall) electronics.
- Don't lick the tires of my car.
- Don't treat my car as if it's your toy.
- Don't treat random motorcycles or bicycles we walk past in a parking lot as your toy.
- Don't do what I just told you not to while looking me in the eye just to find out how I'll react.
- Grunting or arbitrarily whining doesn't count as communicating. Make an effort to express and articulate yourself appropriately.
- Whining is whining in every culture on earth, no one anywhere will mistake your whining as respect.
When God gave us boundaries of morality 3000 years ago, those boundaries didn't lax just because centuries passed. In some cases, they got more strict when Jesus came. Parents shouldn't be looked down upon nor punished for protecting the safety and longevity of their children, neither should God.