How does all this make any sense?? Shouldn't we just follow the advice of the lyrics of those songs: "If your happy and you know it, clap your hands ..."??

Yes, it may be an old Sunday school song ....

Or Bobby McFerrin's, "Don't worry, be happy ..."

Or a more recent lyric by Pharrell Williams: "Clap along if you know what happiness is to you."

Positive attitudes ...yes, by refocusing, we can often pick up our day.   But, a parent's concerns often go beyond a song or dance. Parents often get on their knees ...to pray their children will be okay each day.

What is a parent to do ...when they feel their child is repeatedly suffering??  How can a parent help minimize the pain that, in spite of their love, inevitably rises from the depths to defeat all kindness, laughing at good intentions, and challenging future hopes with unbelief and aimed at destruction???

The parent can only do his/her best.  And the parent clings to hopes & dreams, not so much for themselves ...but for their children, who are their hopes and dreams.

Some problems arise with the decision of how to meter-out disciplinary measures.  As a child, I found it difficult to grasp the concept of "It's going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you!"