Domestic Discipline Before “I Do”
Domestic Discipline Before “I Do” When people hear that my husband and I practice domestic discipline in our marriage, they often assume it began after the wedding. The truth is, the foundation was laid much earlier—during our courting years in college—long before we ever shared a home or even held hands without intention. While we were dating, my husband was very clear about his convictions. We did not live together. We did not sleep together. I was a virgin when we married, and our relationship was built deliberately, with boundaries that honored God and protected both of us. Because of that, he also believed that spanking had no place in our relationship before marriage. Even though I was already drawn to structure, leadership, and accountability, he felt physical discipline was reserved for the covenant of marriage. That did not mean, however, that there was no discipline at all. During our college years, when I misbehaved—missed curfew, spoke disrespectfully, procrastinated o...